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

[featheredflames]

"I think, dear brother, the honour would be mine."

His brother is a virtuous man, a noble man, a far better man than Joshua could ever claim to be. He swoons at Clive's heartfelt dedication, his words of devotion...what exactly did he do to deserve such love and adoration?

His cheeks are ruddy as the back of his hand is kissed, nose scrunching up in embarrassment as he shifts in place seated upon the edge of his bed.

"We have already been tied together in ways far deeper than mortal men are, by virtue of the Phoenix...but if you would humour me, I would be pleased to have our hands bound together in private."

Mayhaps Cyril would bear witness, even if he would probably protest it.

[flamebrand]

Binding hands. Neither the implication nor the enormity of that gesture escapes Clive, and he's momentarily overwhelmed by the suggestion that they engage in it, that Joshua would want it done despite their mothers' suggestions of him finding an appropriate prospect to carry his child.

It simply isn't done. Clive should refuse, if not due to decency－ something he'd long discarded, even before they traded kisses at the stable today－ due to principle, and his loyalty to Rosaria.

But his devotion to the dutchy begins and ends with his love for Joshua. Clive couldn't refuse him, not for anything in the world.

"I would like that."

Sincerely, though he shouldn't. Moving to place himself back on the bed beside Joshua, he smiles at that blush on his brother's face and presses his lips against the crest of a high cheekbone.

"―Even if you ever have to take another. I'll always be yours."

[featheredflames]

Even if he had to take another.

The thought sours the warm, sweet moment they're sharing as he drops his gaze while Clive kisses his cheek. It would be a particular cruelty if he were to have to take a wife and bed her, all for the sake of creating an heir. It will be expected of him, just another part of his duty...but the thought of it makes him ill. It would be unfair to everyone involved. Unjust.

"Perhaps a cousin of ours can carry on the Rosfield legacy. It is not a duty I wish to fulfill if I can avoid it."

[flamebrand]

Ah. Joshua's expression clouds, and Clive's brows furrow to mirror that subdued displeasure. Of all the duties allocated to Joshua, this is the one that Clive also likes thinking of the least: finding a match, producing an heir.

No need to darken the mood with this, though. Founder knows that their mother likes to speak on it frequently enough, without Clive invoking it into this gentle, private space.

"－A duty impossible to fulfill, simply because no one in Valisthea deserves you."

His fingers rake through Joshua's soft hair. Soothing.

"And you should only couple with someone deserving. A shame, but that's the truth of it."

[featheredflames]

"You are deserving."

He is quick to counter, leaning into his brother's touch. Clive's fingers are meant to soothe and they do just that as a sense of peace washes over him.

"You are more deserving than any could possibly hope to be. I want you Clive...no one else."

And it is a demand he is not keen on compromising on.

[flamebrand]

A beat, to let those words, settle, and Clive smiles.

"Well," is lighthearted, to dispel any uncertainty that Joshua might have about what Clive also wants, "I did promise you dessert."

Gently teasing, as he flicks an idle finger under his brother's chin. Doting, the way he used to when they were far younger.

"...But I can wait, if you'd rather. Until after we renew our vows."

Obviously, there's no way to be proper about something already so thoroughly taboo, but far be it for Clive to deprive his brother of what would pass as a courtship if they weren't blood-tied. He wants Joshua to experience everything in exactly the way he'd ever dreamed of, coupling included.

[featheredflames]

"How cruel of you to make me choose."

He swallows, lump in his throat as he stares back at his brother, imploring him to make a decision for him...but he knows Clive won't. It is his choice and his alone.

"...Mayhaps not all the way then. Anything except fully coupling. We can save that for our renewal."

[flamebrand]

A low laugh, when called out on being cruel. It's sweet, that Joshua wants him so. What they have will never be looked upon favorably by the world, but it matters so little when it's something so precious to the both of them.

Indulgent, Clive strokes the curve of Joshua's cheek with the back of his hand, admiring his beauty from a distance that scarcely few people are permitted.

"If that's what you wish."

Implied: anything, for you. "How, then, does my precious brother want to be loved tonight?"

[featheredflames]

"In any fashion you deem appropriate."

How funny, to even mention such a word when they were going to indulge in one another. He leans into the fleeting touch, desire already building. Oh but it would be so simple if Clive did make love to him fully...but he mustn't. Not yet.

"So long as you do not enter me, I am amicable to anything."

[flamebrand]

Alright, another laugh at 'appropriate', for good measure. Everything about what's happening now is unholy, and it's far less about the content of what they'll do and far more about the fact that they'll indulge in it at all.

And yet, no part of Clive wants to stop. Ifrit shivers happily at the prospect of being near the Phoenix; the flames inside of them dance and attune, never to flicker or fade.

"Very diplomatic of you, Your Grace."

A gentle tease, his voice still lilting on the tail end of that laugh. Clive presses a quick kiss to the corner of Joshua's mouth, then pulls back to play at the ties of his brother's tunic, at the layers that still keep him neat and tidy.

"Will you let your Shield please you, then?"

[featheredflames]

Joshua cannot help but wonder if by virtue of his position that, in a strange way, this act could be made holy. If he was venerated and deified, would such an action then in turn be blessed? He is no scholar nor does he truly know the depths of their people's beliefs like the Undying did. Still, he thinks, it would only be fair.

With ruddy cheeks he smiles back at his brother, eager for what will soon follow.

"I would be delighted to be pleased and pleasured by my most loyal and devoted Shield."

[flamebrand]

Very sweet. With permission granted, Clive settles back and starts stripping his own layers off first, not wanting to be so uncouth as to make Joshua bare himself while Clive remains fully clothed. He'll offer his vulnerability first, and then ease Joshua into his own.

His simple shirt sheds onto the floor, alongside his boots and sword. Invictus remains propped by Joshua's bedside dresser, standing vigil; it's a little funny to think of the horrors it's witnessed throughout many, many generations of Rosfields, and the sin it will bear witness to now.

Sorry, ancestors. Clive shimmies out of his trousers until all that's left is his underclothes, and he pauses there to reach for Joshua again, breaching personal space with most of his skin now bare.

"...Not put off, I hope."

He doesn't consider himself a natural beauty, the way Joshua is; riddled with scars and tanned from outdoors marches, he isn't quite sure if he's Joshua's idea of attractive.

[featheredflames]

Clive may not be intending to put on a show, but Joshua watches him as he strips with baited breath, eyes slowly widening as more and more layers are removed. Sure, this isn't the first time he's seen his brother without a shirt, but that does not mean he cannot appreciate what he's already bared witness to.

Clive is all muscle, perfectly sculpted in every way that matters. He would have to be utterly mad to not find him attractive. What could be more attractive than the man he admires ever so much?

"On the contrary." He feels giddy, stomach fluttering once Clive draws close again. It is not an invasion of space, not when he welcomes him in without hesitation. Hands move to trace down Clive's arms, reveling in the set firmness of them. Oh it is unfair just how striking he is. "You are frustratingly handsome."

[flamebrand]

A sideways tip of his head at 'frustratingly', and he chuckles about it. Honestly, he thinks he looks bedraggled more often than not, but if Joshua is happy with what he sees... he needn't reflect on it any further.

"If you think so, I won't complain."

Coming from the most beautiful young man Clive has ever seen, 'handsome' is a ringing endorsement. Still smiling, he moves to undo the laces and buckles keeping Joshua put-together, and starts loosening his tunic to carefully pull over his brother's head. Slowly and methodically, like unwrapping something precious.

"Would Your Grace prefer that I try to tame my hair again after his coronation?"

His Shield should probably try to present himself tidily, for appearance's sake. He laughs.

"Or maybe I should shear it all off, like Lord Murdoch."

[featheredflames]

He allows Clive the freedom to undress him as he pleases, lifting his arms to cooperate as his tunic is unbuttoned and peeled off him. Part of him is impatient, wants Clive to pull his clothing off quick and without any regard for it at all...but that is not the kind of person Clive is. Everything he does when it comes to Joshua is meticulous and done so with the utmost care. How lucky he truly is to have a brother like Clive.

The sudden suggestion about Clive's hair has Joshua taken aback, eyes wide as he looks at his brother as if what he's just suggested is egregious.

"Founder no, please do not."

Quickly he reaches out with fingers to run them through Clive's shaggy locks, giving them a playful tug.

"I like your hair the way it is. Do not take shears to it."

[flamebrand]

"It's growing more moplike by the day."

He notes, as he nuzzles his head against the fingers currently tugging his locks into submission.

"But it does give you something to hold."

Slightly mischievous, as he bends forward to kiss the crest of Joshua's now-bare shoulder. His lips slide to his brother's collarbone, his breath dancing along his sternum. As if he's considering dipping lower, and lower still, until he has his mouth against what he knows must be Joshua's pretty cock.

[featheredflames]

Cheeky.

His face flares as Clive teases him, finding it impossibly adorable as his brother nuzzles into his hand. Yes, it does give him something to hold, and the implication behind Clive's words does not go unnoticed. Still, he lets his brother do as he wishes, kissing his shoulder and down his front until he reaches his trousers and oh...

Founder, please help him.

"...Do you want to put your mouth there?"

He hasn't bathed yet, and while he hadn't been swinging a sword about, he still cannot help but be sure.

[flamebrand]

"If you're asking about wanting," is the light, sincere answer, "yes."

There's no shortage of unspeakable things he'd like to do with Joshua, and taking his brother in his mouth is only one of them. With that said, however, he sits back up again to tangle Joshua into another gentle embrace.

"But I think I want to hold you, tonight."

Something a little more intimate, something that feels less like servicing and more like fulfilling this long-denied need to press close. If they're going to cross more lines, he'd like it to be done with affection.

"Is that alright?"

[featheredflames]

"It is more than just all right."

Clive embraces him and Joshua is quick to squeeze him back, burying his face in his brother's shoulder. How could a man be so tender and loving? How was he so blessed to have Clive in his life?

"It can be like when we were younger..." Albeit with far more scandalous intentions. "I want you to hold me Clive."

[flamebrand]

When they were younger. Clive thinks back to when they were just children, to memories of Joshua tucked against his front and breathing softly in sleep, free of fever and pain. Hallowed, precious moments they carved out for each other when the adults in Rosalith left them to their loneliness, to cold beds and soft coughing.

Their world has changed drastically since then; yet still, this remains the most sacred thing Clive has ever known. This gentleness between them, the luxury of being seen and understood.

"Come here."

A soft whisper, as a warning. They fall onto clean bedsheets, side by side and front to front, and Clive tucks Joshua closer, tighter.

His precious brother. His one and only. Every minute of every day, Clive thanks fate that Joshua was born.

[featheredflames]

Clive is warm.

Chest to chest he feels the warmth of his brother's skin radiate into him as he shares his embrace, drawn into it and as close as physically possible. Already he feels at ease and at peace in Clive's arms, to be held much like he had all those years before. Joshua wonders if it would always be this way. He decides that yes, it would be - regardless of how old they both got, he would always be Clive's little brother and Clive would be his everything in turn.

"I could stay like this forever."

[flamebrand]

"Would that we could."

Warm and held and safe. The world is nowhere near kind enough for that, really, and the both of them are far too active in spirit to be idle for too long, but― a nice thought, anyway, to imagine them tangled and seen until the end of their days. With Joshua, it's the sort of pleasant fantasy Clive can get lost in.

Lips press against soft hair, and the warm flat of Clive's palm traces along the lines of Joshua's body, from waist to back to shoulderblades, mapping him with gentle touches. Each dip and curve committed to memory, given attention with fingertips and calluses. His brother really is the most beautiful man Clive has ever seen.

"Even forever with you wouldn't be enough."

[featheredflames]

It wouldn't be. There's something about Clive's words that hit deep as he snuggles closer, letting his eyes fall shut with a sigh. He focuses instead on warm hands and gentle caresses, not the finality of their lives. Joshua cannot help but worry that his newfound responsibilities will make the time they share with one another less than it already is, but there is no reason to fret until it comes to pass.

"It seems far too finite for my liking."

Out comes a huff as he nudges his nose into Clive's chest. They were supposed to indulge in one another, but the magnetic draw of innocent comfort is far too alluring to ignore it seems.

[flamebrand]

Joshua will be even busier with his responsibilities as Archduke, and Clive will inevitably be sent away to Dhalmek frontlines or Sanbrequois borders, where Ifrit will loom tall over Rosarian enemies. 'Forever' is a pretty fantasy, but it's one they can both share in this small, intimate space, away from others' eyeshot or earshot. Their taboo, their secret.

Joshua gets comfortable, and Clive hardly wants to disturb his brother's peace. Indulgence can wait if his brother wants just this; they've been deprived of even something as innocent as this for ages now.

"We'll make the most of our time." A reassurance, as he reaches for the bedcovers to draw up and around his brother's bare skin, keeping him insulated. "...Are you tired?"

[featheredflames]

The truth of the matter is that their lives are going to change very shortly, and while Joshua had the yolk of his father's responsibilities thrust upon him already, they would be all encompassing once he was crowned head of their country. He would be kept busy and Clive would be sent off and away from his side. The thought is a miserable one, one that has him instinctively clinging tighter to his brother.

They'll make the most of their time, as Clive has said and reassures, tucking them both in. It's so warm. He feels so safe...but he doesn't feel tired.

"No, not yet. Besides, it would be a shame to go to sleep right now when I am still eager to delight in you."