Coronation

[featheredflames]

It is all far too much attention for Joshua's liking.

He knew this was how it would be, that there would be a certain amount of fussing the be expected...but this was beyond the scope of acceptable fussing surely. So much unnecessary commotion over a fitting of ceremonial robes that he wouldn't wear more than a handful of times at that... Would it not be better to spend time focusing on the clothing he would be draped in when he finally dawned his father's mantle? The day-to-day wear that he would need to sport as Archduke of Rosaria.

That would come later, in time, he had been reassured. This outfit would get at least a few days of wear out of it. The ceremony was to last more than a singular evening, festivities dragging on for nearly a week after the event of the coronation itself. Already Joshua feels weary at the thought. Fancy suppers and meeting with dignitaries were in his future but right now his present reality was a miserable one. Fabric is cinched around his waist as measurements are taken and pins are adjusted. He feels like a doll as he's fitted, made to stand for bells on end. Founder he could only hope that some semblance of reprieve would find him soon, hopefully before his knees gave out...

Swallowing he stares out the window, doing his best not to move as the tailors do their work as quickly as they can. It would be unfair if he told them to stop - they were only doing as they had been instructed to, to rework and refit the robes his father wore on his crowning day. Joshua cannot help but think they don't suit him - Clive would wear (and fit!) them far better than he. Yet it was tradition...and while he may be able to escape the tailors ere long, there was no escaping protocol and the duty that loomed over him.

Comments

[flamebrand]

Clive's hair is a lost cause; it will perpetually remain shaggy unless someone forces product into it, which is likely to happen on the night of Joshua's coronation. A short-lived tidiness, given what they've already promised will happen after the ceremony is done.

Meanwhile, Clive bumps against Joshua's palm like a hound leaning into a particularly beloved hand. Warm as he is, he likes his brother's brand of heat as well: softer, gentler. Ifrit consumes, but the Phoenix sustains.

"I'll fill it with your favorite things." Which is a yes, silly as it is to be talking about making a human-sized nest. Joshua never got to dabble in frivolity, so they might as well do so now. "And it'll be the place we both retire to for the night."

[featheredflames]

Joshua likes his brother shaggy. While it had been some years now since Clive had his hair clipped and neat, it's far more fun to mess like this, to tease with fingers and watch move when the wind catches it from time to time. The way Clive leans into his hand reminds him of Torgal and it draws out a laugh from the soon-to-be archduke. He scritches behind his ear, just for good measure.

"My favourite things?" He leans in, conspiring. "So long as I've you in the middle of my nest I will be content."

[flamebrand]

It won't be long before Clive's presence will be requested not only on the battlefield, but in situations that will require him to keep appearances for his brother's sake. Up until now, Joshua has been confined to the relative safety of Rosalith Castle, but diplomatic missions will soon take him out of their familiar four walls and to Sanbreque, Dhalmekia, the Crystalline Dominion― and his First Shield will have to remain vigilant by his side, the sword and shield to bolster Rosaria's Phoenix.

Which is all to say: Clive will have to trim his hair a bit. And maybe shave, when the time comes. He sets that thought aside as he sweeps his grown-out bangs aside and gathers Joshua into a more comfortable position, tucking him more firmly under rumpled covers to keep their body heat trapped around them.

"...You flatter." A full-bodied warming, at the suggestion that he's Joshua's favorite. He could pinch himself, it all feels so surreal. "And you could stand to be more selfish. You'll always have me."

[featheredflames]

It would be strange to think he's anything but Joshua's favourite. Who else or what else could ever begin to even remotely be more important to him than Clive? Not even the throne could come between him and his love for his brother...but that did not mean duty wouldn't take him away temporarily.

It's something Joshua has refused to think about, even if he knows it's a reality he will face soon after his coronation. For duty's sake Clive will be sent off to protect him and Rosaria's interests, albeit temporarily. If only it weren't necessary...

"If I were to be more selfish...you would never leave my side - I would forbid it."

[flamebrand]

'Forbid it'. It's a childish thing to say, reminiscent of how Joshua used to wind small fingers in his nightshirt and demand that Clive stay. The sort of harmless selfishness that he never had and never will have the heart to refuse.

Still, they're the both of them grown men now, and Joshua has a duchy to rule. Clive cuddles Joshua to himself, understanding the roles they have to play, but wanting to reassure his brother regardless.

"I'll only ever leave your side to see to it that you're protected." Keeping Rosaria safe from intruders ensures Joshua's safety; as much as Clive swears to uphold the peace of the nation, his loyalty is to Joshua and Joshua above all. "No matter where I am, I'll be thinking of you. Everything I do, I do for you."

[featheredflames]

It is a comfort to be held against Clive's chest, to be cradled and loved in a way no one else dared to. Not even their mother had cuddled him in the same way - her affection had been transactional, after all. But that hadn't mattered when Clive made up for it tenfold.

"And I will be thinking of you...every moment you are away from me. I will never stop."

[flamebrand]

"Never is a strong word."

As if Clive wouldn't also promise the same: his frequent use of superlatives when it comes to Joshua is only slightly lost on him. Because it's a fact that he lives for Joshua, that he still breathes because of Joshua, that the world feels bright to him because of Joshua.

Dipping down, he presses a kiss to Joshua's brow.

"Knowing that you're thinking of me will motivate me to return as quickly as I'm able."

[featheredflames]

Perhaps it is a strong word, but that does not mean Joshua does not speak true when using it. Clive would promise the same and if there is one thing that has been proven time and again it is that they are both fixated on the other. Is it healthy? That would be left for others to debate.

"Please do not keep me waiting long...I do not know how patient I can be."

[flamebrand]

A little pang, when Joshua says please. It's ever been Clive's biggest weakness to hear his brother plead with him for anything, and doubly so when it has to do with matters of staying or leaving. It'd torn Clive in two as a child when he'd been bidden by Anabella to leave Joshua well enough alone, and the sentiment has persisted even after he's grown enough to understand the necessity of it.

His palm smooths over his brother's cheek, affectionate. No need to dampen the mood by dwelling on future absences; for now, he can let their conversation meander along gentler routes.

"Ah. What would my songbird be driven to do in his impatience?"

[featheredflames]

"Fret and flap about, mayhaps pluck my feathers. Cease to sing at all..." He leans into the touch, delighted by it but also left greedy and wanting for further affection.

"I would want to fly to you." It wouldn't be the smartest of moves, but it is the truth. "I would resist doing so...but it would be hard to stop myself from spreading my wings to join you."

[flamebrand]

He's the one that asked, but to think of his brother slowly being drained of joy is unpleasant enough that Clive's all-too-familiar protectiveness kicks in. His touch warms, the gentle stroking shifting to a firmer cupping, his palm holding and keeping Joshua's jaw in place with more purpose.

"...Your men would be bolstered by your presence. But I'd rather you waited here for me."

A light kiss, to the corner of Joshua's mouth. Reassuring.

"The Phoenix would be wasted on our enemies. My wife needn't trouble himself."

Ifrit doesn't exact the cost that Joshua's Eikon does― or, at least, it hasn't so far. The same threat of lithification has never been pressing for Clive, whose body seems to resist― or attune to― the aether Ifrit dispels and expends without issue. A convenience that he uses to his advantage, given how afraid Clive is of Joshua coming to harm.

[featheredflames]

His cheeks flame with the word, gaze averted as he lets Clive cradle his face. It's all too sweet, too tender and loving that Joshua can feel his heart race at the thought. Wife is such a potent label in this very moment that he cannot help but want it to be true. If only it could be...

"You won't keep me waiting long...will you?"

Surely no longer than a week, mayhap two at most...but Joshua cannot get his hopes up.

[flamebrand]

It's sweet, how openly his brother responds to the word wife. If it pleases him to hear it, Clive will say it as many times as Joshua would like until the concept takes hold: they may never be wed in any official capacity, but Clive has belonged to Joshua since birth. That must count for something.

"I'll do my utmost to return to you quickly."

With a hint of apology, given that he can make no promises when it comes to matters of war. The length of his sorties will depend entirely on how stubborn their enemies decide to be, and though he has the clear advantage of Ifrit on his side, sometimes intimidation isn't enough.

Still. Better for the hellbeast to be hated, and for the firebird to be loved. He presses another kiss to Joshua's mouth, not letting up on the affection one bit.

"It's difficult to bear the thought of you being bereft."

[featheredflames]

He probably shouldn't be so excited by the word or notion as he is, but Joshua is beyond caring when it comes to feeling any iota of shame toward how he feels for Clive. It is hard to think that he will have to endure without his brother by his side, (his husband, if he is to buy into the fantasy) but at least he knows it won't just be him who will be pining.

"It is difficult to bear the thought of having to rule without you by my side, even if it is temporary."

And temporary he hopes it will remain.

"Has there been any indication of how long they'll send you away for?"

[flamebrand]

"You'll still have Lord Murdoch by your side. He'll guarantee your safety."

Rodney, who has held up remarkably well despite the injuries he sustained during Phoenix Gate. He has retired from the frontlines, but Clive trusts no one more than their deceased father's second― if Lord Murdoch is at home, he can feel more at ease leaving Rosalith.

"As for how long... It'll depend on how intimidating I can be, I suppose. Ifrit will have to cooperate with me, on that front."

[featheredflames]

"I assure you, it is not my safety I am worried for."

No, it is other, more pressing and dire matters that Lord Murdoch could never tend to, for reasons he rather not articulate.

"I wish you didn't have to...tell Ifrit to behave, so you can return to my side soon after."

[flamebrand]

Tell Ifrit to behave. It would have felt more dire to hear on the heels of the Night of Flames, when the topic of Ifrit was far more contentious. Now, it only makes Clive smile and lean in to litter more kisses along Joshua's temple.

"He'll mind me if I tell him that the Phoenix wishes it."

The second eikon of fire has grown more cooperative over time― especially when the other twin flame is around.

"It's true, what the members of court say. You've tamed Ifrit."

[featheredflames]

There is a huff as he shakes his head in protest. No, he hasn't tamed Ifrit. That would be silly to think. Sure, both of their eikons were connected by their shared element, but Clive shouldn't downplay his influence on making Ifrit cooperate and do his bidding.

"Please, brother, you know that is not true. Do not sell yourself short when it comes to how far you have come."

[flamebrand]

Mm, is his vague half-assent to Joshua's pushback. It's true that Ifrit minds him now, and that it'd taken a considerable amount of time and self-examination to get to where he is currently; only after he'd accepted himself and dragged himself out of his mire of self-loathing did he get a better handle on his eikon and his quirks.

"Still. Best to let the members of the high houses think that you hold my leash."

His fingers drum along the small of Joshua's back, where he still has him held close.

"Better that than them underestimating you. Ifrit may fight our wars, but the Phoenix is our hope."

[featheredflames]

"I will not be one to correct them, fear not." Why would he? The more those vipers feared him and his brother the better, as terrible as it may be to say as much. There mother may be cruel and paranoid but after learning of her upbringing he understands why she came to be the person she was. Joshua has no love for nobles who revel in cruelty and games of succession - at least his mother had secured his position for him, for better or worse in that regard.

"Let them all know how formidable we are as a unified front."

[flamebrand]

There have been attempts, in the past, to turn the brothers against each other. Or, well, more accurately― there have been attempts to turn Clive against Joshua. Snakes who have whispered to him that not every son could have been born the Phoenix, but that surely Ifrit wasn't content with being kept and collared; proposals from Republic spies who promised him riches and land were he to ally himself with the Dhalmek cause.

He has disposed of all such voices in his periphery. Each and every one. He had found it unbelievable, every time, that anyone could think him capable of being disloyal to the one person in this world he loves more than anything; he had found it infuriating, every time, that anyone could even suggest that he betray the one person who gives color and light to his world.

"...Bound together, in blood and soul." He takes Joshua's hand, and kisses along its knuckles. "You'll ever have my loyalty in all matters."

[featheredflames]

"And you have mine forevermore." Not that he need say such, but when Clive is dedicating himself so sweetly and honestly...it only feels right to return the sentiment and give voice to it once more. "I know you will always protect me Clive."

It is the one infallible truth, the one constant in his life that, no matter what takes place, will continue to endure. Clive would never betray him, stop loving him, or protecting him.

The kiss to his knuckles is returned with one of his own to Clive's lips, a chaste peck of pure adoration.

"It has always just been the two of us. That will never change."

[flamebrand]

"No, it won't."

As he smiles at the kiss, and at the contentment that shines bright on Joshua's expression. Despite the tumultuous nature of their lives, it's always when they're together that Clive feels most at peace.

Case in point. Tangled in bed with his beloved bird in his arms, Clive can say with some measure of certainty that this is what true happiness looks and feels like.

"...Will you let me warm your bed again, tomorrow night?"

[featheredflames]

"Of course. Need you ask?"

He laughs at the question, curling closer to him, threading their legs together as he nuzzled against his chest. There is no place he would rather have his brother other than his bed, if not by his side.

"My nest is yours, Clive...I thought we established this?"

[flamebrand]

"We did," he chuckles, "but I can appreciate if my songbird wants to rest tomorrow night."

A questing touch, to emphasize his point. He runs his warm palm down the length of Joshua's back, fingertips circling his tailbone for a beat to suggest how handsy Clive's been (literally) the entire night. Embarrassing, probably, that his floodgates have opened so thoroughly, but he figures that it's the result of years of pining and repression.