[ It's funny, really, the ways in which Louis, despite all his flaws (and he has many flaws) is genuinely and honestly worthy of the title of Will's true love. He reads Will's tension and seems to always know what to say in response, even when his form of comfort is one that is as blunt and straightforward as he himself is: needlessly, Will worries about a world in which he and Louis never fell in love, but Louis dismisses it easily, substituting other alternate realities instead.
What if you never loved me, Will asks, in a silly way, and Louis replies, I would have always loved you.
It makes the young king brighten, smiling softly in the way that Louis has likely learned he always does. He leans forward, pressing soft kisses, punctuated by one little fresh lovebite, to Louis's neck. This, too, is familiar: he coos out, sing-song — ]
Louiiiis... I — [ a kiss ] — love you — [ kiss ] — sooooo — [ kiss ] — much...
[ How many times has Louis heard this odd refrain by now? Louis, I love you sooooo much. And yet, Will seems to mean it, each and every time... ]
Let's get married again and again and again! [ ...He can't be serious. Or is he? ] Let's run around the world together... let's, let's...
[ Ah, never mind words. He's just going to collapse into a heap of kisses for Louis: to his neck, his jaw, his lips, his cheeks... Will will even shift up onto his knees to give Louis kisses to his horns. (He should be wearing them, surely? True, they are in the privacy of the king's bedchamber, but it is only midday!) ]
[ it is difficult for Louis to imagine a world where their love of adventure did not coincide in a community of the recluse, fearful of stepping beyond their borders. there are details there: the fire, the king, when and how, and Louis' own circumstances, but all of that are just details. now that Louis has met Will, who came into his life like a force of nature, it is difficult to imagine himself without him.
honestly, he did not expect this sort of response – he never does, because here he thought he was speaking his mind more than he meant to sooth his lover, but Will is crawling on him and pushing him down and kissing him and he once again wonders how did this happen? ]
You are impossible.
[ but it doesn't sound like much of a protest coming from a man who could lift the king off and slink somewhere else if he disliked being this showered with affection. he is unused to it, perhaps – even with Will, due to a lifetime of personal neglect, and it's still something he doesn't quite know how to respond to.
there goes the king, putting his mouth on his horns too. ]
[ If Louis disliked Will's affection, he could easily just shove the king off. The fact that he doesn't, Will decides, is invitation to shower him with still more kisses. When Will tires of giving Louis kisses, he pulls back slightly and makes himself comfortable again, dragging his nails lightly over the man's horns, around his scalp where he's seemed to like being touched in the past. ]
I can still marry you again. I'll marry you as many times as it takes.
[ As many times as it takes until... what? Until Louis finally understands that Will adores him? Until Will is satisfied, more probably. He settles his body comfortably in Louis's hold again; as usual, he expects Louis to accommodate him, but as usual, they manage to be very comfortable with each other all the same. ]
As many times as you want me... because I want you infinitely, all the time, always...
[ there's that romantic again, the one that rears its head when Will is feeling sentimental. he has the same light to his eyes as the king did so many years ago when Louis was young, but where that turned out to be hollow, Will's is full of promise. the difference is in belief, isn't it? Louis had learned a while ago not to blindly follow idealism, but Will has already made it real.
Will scrambles all over him, partially rolling up and getting handsy. there are soft, cool kisses pressed over his face, even as he sighs (and yet still doesn't move).
and then,
and then –
Will presses his fingertips into his horn, into the soft, velvety texture along his scalp. damn, why is he so weak to this? with another hn he melts bonelessly into the daybed. ]
How many times could marriage take?
[ he doesn't expect Will to answer that, he's just being a silly grump.
[ Trapped! Pinned! Once again, King Wilhelm has Louis Guiabern conquered in the most delicious way — as he has conquered Louis many times before, and will presumably continue to conquer Louis for ever after. He giggles when Louis grunts, mischievously pleased; his husband seems to be trying not to give in to the pleasure, even though his body is already sinking bonelessly into the cushions underneath him.
Should he be allowed to feel this triumphant over such a small victory? Will coos lovingly and pets those horns ever more intensely — yes, at the slow, indulgent, unhurried pace that he's learned Louis seems to like. So slow, so sweet, so tender... It's as if this perfect lazy afternoon could stretch on for years and years and years, filling the holes in Louis's heart for all the other years past that left him hollow and forlorn and loveless, full of hatred for a world that had only ever brought him pain.
Now it brings him Will, staring at him with big soft eyes like he's the most beautiful thing in the world, rubbing him into dreamy compliance. Truly, how the tables turn. ]
You're so beautiful, so sweet to me... my sleeping beauty...
[ Is his grumpiness really what one would describe as sweet? Will seems pleased with it, though... ]
[ perhaps it's that he'll never be used to affection, so Will receives this treatment each time, a little bit of surprise, a little bit of acceptance. more and more as Louis eases into allowing himself to be close to someone. Will tends to him the way that he likes, making it difficult to keep his ill-tempered frown. it's only been a few months, and Will's diligence in caring for him means that he knows just how to touch him. ]
I'm not either of those things.
[ but for the first time, Louis doesn't sound that commanding or convincing, instead it comes out like a soft gruff, the closest he gets to whining. it's so hard to complain when Will is allowing his fingers to press alongside that nice place on his horns, just under the mass of flaxen hair, like some sort of expert horn-rubber. ]
I'm very dangerous. You've heard the rumors.
[ yeah, but he doesn't look dangerous at all like this. ]
[ He's grumpy, and growling, and he's trying his best to be gruff, but Louis also looks like a fluffy cat that's gone flat with relaxation, flopped into the cushions, baring his soft belly to Will's touch. Will rubs into the exact spot on his horns that he's noticed Louis seems to respond particularly well to, and is promptly rewarded by the sound of Louis's voice going even softer, sweeter.
His husband's voice is low, but it's not actually especially deep. Will likes that, though — likes it when only he gets to hear just how whiny and boyish his Louis can get under the right circumstances. ]
Have I? Maybe I haven't. You should tell me of these rumors — spare me the trip down to the Honeybee. I've given that old rumormonger enough of my coin.
[ The stimulation to Louis's horns is soon accompanied by a full-blown scalp massage. Will drags his nails lightly over Louis's scalp, sifting through the waves of flaxen hair, and then rubs the pads of his fingertips deeply into it, rolling all around the crown of his head, the back of his skull, round and around where Louis's magic anchors his horns to his temples. Ah, he's so lovely, so perfect... ]
[ he's living through his teens again now that he's able to be safe and comfortable, probably. ]
Aren't you feeling cheeky. The worst comes from you, you know. You could compile a list of the crimes of Louis Guiabern, and sell them back to that rumormongering associate of yours for twice the coin.
[ it's hard to keep up now, especially with Will working his fingers through his hair, putting pressure against his scalp. all of his base instincts are screaming for him to get up, to leave any claim to pleasure, but even if he heeded that call, he's unable to do so – it just feels far too good.
a deep, long sigh comes from his chest, out through his lips as he deflates more. though he supposes that there are few out here that could say that the king has tended to them, and where Louis once wanted to be king, he is now the object of the king's affection, and is allowed more leniency than the king himself.
[ Will laughs a little at Louis's suggestion. He won't do anything of the sort, of course (though perhaps it is true that Louis ought to be prosecuted for some of the crimes committed in his name in the later days of scarlet skies before Will ascended to the throne, but those had largely been taken care of by Eupha on an individual basis) — he likes Louis where he is right now, with the ball and chain of his imprisonment in the form of the ring that sometimes graces his finger. Still, Will seizes on the scenario, play-acting at what he'll tell the ishkia rumormonger that always skulks about in Fabienne's establishment: ]
"Have you heard? Louis Guiabern turns into an absolute kitten when he's with the king!"
[ He lets up on Louis's horn massage, in part because he suspects that its efficacy will lessen if he gives Louis too many horn rubs, and in part because he wants to see if the man will go so far as to demand more from him. With one last kiss for the tip of one of Louis's horns, Will settles in his lap again and rubs his fingers beneath Louis's chin, cooing in a teasing tone: ]
Here, kitty, kitty, kitty...
[ Maybe kitty would be well within his rights to bite... or otherwise get his revenge upon his demeaning, evil little husband. Ah, but he's so cute...! ]
[ there are some that have probably already noticed that his expression changes with the king is around, even the senate who Louis despises. some of the castle staff have noticed that if they mention that they're explicitly doing something for the king, that Louis will allow them more grace (especially in the way of the softness his feature take on). it's an odd line in the sand, one where Louis will get violent if crossed. those know not test their limits with it. ]
Oh? And what would someone do with such information?
[ he inquires, still playing gruff. ]
The only one who could take advantage of it would be the king himself. After all, those that would come after the king's consort could find themselves at his behest, and he's less a kitten and more a beast under circumstances that do not befit him.
[ the pressure is gone from his horns – from his head – and now he feels odd without Will's touch. there's a soft, phantom tingle where his fingers have left, not quite an itch, but a reminder. perhaps he is a kitten for the king, but he doesn't seem to refute it.
You're right. Nobody would pay for that, except for me.
[ Louis is playing gruff, but Will is all affection. The great and mighty king of Euchronia decides to curl up into something of a little ball while resting on his husband's chest — an endeavor which is possible due to the sheer difference in their physiques — wrapping his arms loosely around Louis's body as he does so. He seems quite comfortable, suffused with the satisfaction of knowing that he's rubbed his husband into a tingly afterglow. ]
My cute little kitten... my dangerous beast...
[ It's funny: the king is usually at least a little bit selfish, but he finds for the moment that he has no particular desires of his own. He just wants to make Louis feel good, and if Louis feels good then he's done his job as the king today. (The stack of bills and pronouncements on his desk? That's Gallica's problem now!) ]
I'm the luckiest man in the kingdom, because I have you.
[ Well... uh... that might actually be true, all things considered. Not the having Louis part, just the... he is stupidly lucky. ]
[ it's not even as if Louis can deny it, or that he wants to. certainly, it's something he'd openly admit to anyone. there are many qualities of Louis Guiabern: he's a charismatic genius, a violent meritocratic tyrant, a cunning politician and a simp for the king. the rumor would not be a concern to him, as anyone who wished to use it against him or the king would ultimately find consequence awaiting at the end of his blade. it had been a lifetime of work to get to the point where he did not want to hide, and the king deserves someone of strength to stand beside him.
he even thinks that his devotion occasional unnerves the Senate, as well as any naysayers. there is no one in Euchronia that could say their marriage was purely political, even if that was the legs it original stood on. ]
It's always strange to hear you say that.
[ he's always been a threat, never a blessing unless it was to those following him. ]
If you call me kitten in chambers, I'm certain that the Senate will have something to say about it. You are free to do with it as you will.
[ as in, he gives Will permission to use that pet name anywhere he wants. why not? not only is it rather amusing, it is sort of true. ]
[ ...Louis wants Will to call him "kitten" in front of the Senate.
Louis. Wants Will. To call him "kitten." In front of the Senate.
Will doesn't think he can think of anything funnier than this, though he manages not to laugh. He rolls on top of Louis so that their bellies are pressed together, peering up at his handsome husband with a wide-eyed, inquisitive, even sort of faintly expectant smile.
Even if he has malicious intent in mind, his husband is truly so cute... ]
Then... I'm going to do it! I'm going to make sure everyone in the Senate knows that you're my little kitten!
[ He's absolutely radiant just thinking about this. There's no doubt that Will is going to drop this in the middle of a meeting with utter relish. The great and mighty Count Louis Guiabern, his sweet, loving kitten. A proud man, a great man, a dangerous mage — and the king's beautiful, loving, doting, docile kitten.
(He's only docile so long as he wants to be, of course.) ]
And that they can't get in the way of our marriage. But mostly that you're my kitten.
[ it's rather humorous to him; he quite likes the idea. a serious meeting in front of the senate, the king facing them to make a statement, then announcing Louis as "kitten." he can see their blustering, red, annoying faces: the two princes sputtering, the Igniter Consortium Head smiling tightly, and Will glowing with pride.
quite the sight it's going to be.
while Louis was never known for his sense of humor, they've been together long enough that certain details of his personality are now shining through. it's the same for him: the little parts of Will that he hasn't seen before, that he makes an effort to burn into his memory. ]
It'll shock them long enough not to try something for a while. I'd also quite like to see the looks on their faces.
[ admittedly, that is a part of it. ]
Something tells me I'm not much of a "kitten" in anyone's eyes but yours.
[ Will is feeling naughty. Louis looks like he's having fond thoughts about him, so he pounces on his husband's horns again, rubbing them, massaging them, scratching lightly through Louis's scalp just to roll sweet, relieving fingers around the base of his horns again. He'll get his pretty kitty flat and relaxed for him all over again! If he's going to be so cute... ]
That's fine by me. My eyes are the only ones that matter, right?
[ Not that the king is ordinarily quite so confident in himself... no, well, maybe he is... but, rather, this is a train of thought that Louis himself seems to espouse from time to time, and Will is leaning into it now. ]
And I say you're my lovely little kitten with big, sharp claws.
[ A lovely kitten who's getting his brain melted via horn rubbing again... ]
[ there he goes, outstretched fingers, all too willing to conquer (not another nation, but his husband's secret horned diadem). Louis could raise a hand to stop him, grab his wrists or shift him somewhere to jostle him, but he accepts his affectionate fate, Will's hands finding the spot that Will seems to love just as much as Louis does.
when he put on the guise of clemar, he did not expect to be afflicted by this troublesome response from his body at the mere touch of Will's fingers. yet, he finds himself getting used to it, even enjoying it.
with a few soft rubs, Louis hums gently beneath his breath and sinks into the daybed, as if he's about to drift off for a nap. then he utters, feeling quite agreeable: ]
... As you say, my king.
[ it seems like it may be time for an afternoon nap before dinner, something Louis also hadn't partaken in until recently. sometimes he believes this life is far too peaceful for someone like him, other times he finds all the horrible things about his past so very far, far away.
[ Watching Louis settle into a sleepy, contented stupor is always its own special kind of pleasure... It's pleasurable because Will knows full well that Louis would never, ever allow himself to relax like this except in the presence of the king. Is it arrogance to think that Will's love might someday erase the horrible past? That, someday, these peaceful, easy days might come as naturally to Louis Charadrius as the old days of war and hatred and victory and conquest?
He doesn't have to change completely. Will has never asked Louis to change completely. But this, today — the sweet promise of an afternoon nap and a moment of vulnerability shared only with his king — it feels like a treat. A treasure hard-earned, a secret well-kept. Something for only Will, in this private moment between two kings.
Will smiles. He rests his head on Louis's chest. He settles in for that afternoon nap, too. The daybed is spacious and luxurious and comfortable, and Louis's large body feels like the perfect cushion for Will's smaller frame.
If they're lucky, no one will knock on the door until after the sun sets and all the palace staff wonder if the kings are going to want dinner. ]
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no subject
What if you never loved me, Will asks, in a silly way, and Louis replies, I would have always loved you.
It makes the young king brighten, smiling softly in the way that Louis has likely learned he always does. He leans forward, pressing soft kisses, punctuated by one little fresh lovebite, to Louis's neck. This, too, is familiar: he coos out, sing-song — ]
Louiiiis... I — [ a kiss ] — love you — [ kiss ] — sooooo — [ kiss ] — much...
[ How many times has Louis heard this odd refrain by now? Louis, I love you sooooo much. And yet, Will seems to mean it, each and every time... ]
Let's get married again and again and again! [ ...He can't be serious. Or is he? ] Let's run around the world together... let's, let's...
[ Ah, never mind words. He's just going to collapse into a heap of kisses for Louis: to his neck, his jaw, his lips, his cheeks... Will will even shift up onto his knees to give Louis kisses to his horns. (He should be wearing them, surely? True, they are in the privacy of the king's bedchamber, but it is only midday!) ]
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honestly, he did not expect this sort of response – he never does, because here he thought he was speaking his mind more than he meant to sooth his lover, but Will is crawling on him and pushing him down and kissing him and he once again wonders how did this happen? ]
You are impossible.
[ but it doesn't sound like much of a protest coming from a man who could lift the king off and slink somewhere else if he disliked being this showered with affection. he is unused to it, perhaps – even with Will, due to a lifetime of personal neglect, and it's still something he doesn't quite know how to respond to.
there goes the king, putting his mouth on his horns too. ]
We're already married.
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I can still marry you again. I'll marry you as many times as it takes.
[ As many times as it takes until... what? Until Louis finally understands that Will adores him? Until Will is satisfied, more probably. He settles his body comfortably in Louis's hold again; as usual, he expects Louis to accommodate him, but as usual, they manage to be very comfortable with each other all the same. ]
As many times as you want me... because I want you infinitely, all the time, always...
no subject
Will scrambles all over him, partially rolling up and getting handsy. there are soft, cool kisses pressed over his face, even as he sighs (and yet still doesn't move).
and then,
and then –
Will presses his fingertips into his horn, into the soft, velvety texture along his scalp. damn, why is he so weak to this? with another hn he melts bonelessly into the daybed. ]
How many times could marriage take?
[ he doesn't expect Will to answer that, he's just being a silly grump.
help him, save him, he's completely trapped. ]
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Should he be allowed to feel this triumphant over such a small victory? Will coos lovingly and pets those horns ever more intensely — yes, at the slow, indulgent, unhurried pace that he's learned Louis seems to like. So slow, so sweet, so tender... It's as if this perfect lazy afternoon could stretch on for years and years and years, filling the holes in Louis's heart for all the other years past that left him hollow and forlorn and loveless, full of hatred for a world that had only ever brought him pain.
Now it brings him Will, staring at him with big soft eyes like he's the most beautiful thing in the world, rubbing him into dreamy compliance. Truly, how the tables turn. ]
You're so beautiful, so sweet to me... my sleeping beauty...
[ Is his grumpiness really what one would describe as sweet? Will seems pleased with it, though... ]
no subject
I'm not either of those things.
[ but for the first time, Louis doesn't sound that commanding or convincing, instead it comes out like a soft gruff, the closest he gets to whining. it's so hard to complain when Will is allowing his fingers to press alongside that nice place on his horns, just under the mass of flaxen hair, like some sort of expert horn-rubber. ]
I'm very dangerous. You've heard the rumors.
[ yeah, but he doesn't look dangerous at all like this. ]
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His husband's voice is low, but it's not actually especially deep. Will likes that, though — likes it when only he gets to hear just how whiny and boyish his Louis can get under the right circumstances. ]
Have I? Maybe I haven't. You should tell me of these rumors — spare me the trip down to the Honeybee. I've given that old rumormonger enough of my coin.
[ The stimulation to Louis's horns is soon accompanied by a full-blown scalp massage. Will drags his nails lightly over Louis's scalp, sifting through the waves of flaxen hair, and then rubs the pads of his fingertips deeply into it, rolling all around the crown of his head, the back of his skull, round and around where Louis's magic anchors his horns to his temples. Ah, he's so lovely, so perfect... ]
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Aren't you feeling cheeky. The worst comes from you, you know. You could compile a list of the crimes of Louis Guiabern, and sell them back to that rumormongering associate of yours for twice the coin.
[ it's hard to keep up now, especially with Will working his fingers through his hair, putting pressure against his scalp. all of his base instincts are screaming for him to get up, to leave any claim to pleasure, but even if he heeded that call, he's unable to do so – it just feels far too good.
a deep, long sigh comes from his chest, out through his lips as he deflates more. though he supposes that there are few out here that could say that the king has tended to them, and where Louis once wanted to be king, he is now the object of the king's affection, and is allowed more leniency than the king himself.
well, that's a thought, isn't it? ]
no subject
"Have you heard? Louis Guiabern turns into an absolute kitten when he's with the king!"
[ He lets up on Louis's horn massage, in part because he suspects that its efficacy will lessen if he gives Louis too many horn rubs, and in part because he wants to see if the man will go so far as to demand more from him. With one last kiss for the tip of one of Louis's horns, Will settles in his lap again and rubs his fingers beneath Louis's chin, cooing in a teasing tone: ]
Here, kitty, kitty, kitty...
[ Maybe kitty would be well within his rights to bite... or otherwise get his revenge upon his demeaning, evil little husband. Ah, but he's so cute...! ]
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Oh? And what would someone do with such information?
[ he inquires, still playing gruff. ]
The only one who could take advantage of it would be the king himself. After all, those that would come after the king's consort could find themselves at his behest, and he's less a kitten and more a beast under circumstances that do not befit him.
[ the pressure is gone from his horns – from his head – and now he feels odd without Will's touch. there's a soft, phantom tingle where his fingers have left, not quite an itch, but a reminder. perhaps he is a kitten for the king, but he doesn't seem to refute it.
no, it's his now. ]
no subject
[ Louis is playing gruff, but Will is all affection. The great and mighty king of Euchronia decides to curl up into something of a little ball while resting on his husband's chest — an endeavor which is possible due to the sheer difference in their physiques — wrapping his arms loosely around Louis's body as he does so. He seems quite comfortable, suffused with the satisfaction of knowing that he's rubbed his husband into a tingly afterglow. ]
My cute little kitten... my dangerous beast...
[ It's funny: the king is usually at least a little bit selfish, but he finds for the moment that he has no particular desires of his own. He just wants to make Louis feel good, and if Louis feels good then he's done his job as the king today. (The stack of bills and pronouncements on his desk? That's Gallica's problem now!) ]
I'm the luckiest man in the kingdom, because I have you.
[ Well... uh... that might actually be true, all things considered. Not the having Louis part, just the... he is stupidly lucky. ]
no subject
he even thinks that his devotion occasional unnerves the Senate, as well as any naysayers. there is no one in Euchronia that could say their marriage was purely political, even if that was the legs it original stood on. ]
It's always strange to hear you say that.
[ he's always been a threat, never a blessing unless it was to those following him. ]
If you call me kitten in chambers, I'm certain that the Senate will have something to say about it. You are free to do with it as you will.
[ as in, he gives Will permission to use that pet name anywhere he wants. why not? not only is it rather amusing, it is sort of true. ]
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Louis. Wants Will. To call him "kitten." In front of the Senate.
Will doesn't think he can think of anything funnier than this, though he manages not to laugh. He rolls on top of Louis so that their bellies are pressed together, peering up at his handsome husband with a wide-eyed, inquisitive, even sort of faintly expectant smile.
Even if he has malicious intent in mind, his husband is truly so cute... ]
Then... I'm going to do it! I'm going to make sure everyone in the Senate knows that you're my little kitten!
[ He's absolutely radiant just thinking about this. There's no doubt that Will is going to drop this in the middle of a meeting with utter relish. The great and mighty Count Louis Guiabern, his sweet, loving kitten. A proud man, a great man, a dangerous mage — and the king's beautiful, loving, doting, docile kitten.
(He's only docile so long as he wants to be, of course.) ]
And that they can't get in the way of our marriage. But mostly that you're my kitten.
no subject
quite the sight it's going to be.
while Louis was never known for his sense of humor, they've been together long enough that certain details of his personality are now shining through. it's the same for him: the little parts of Will that he hasn't seen before, that he makes an effort to burn into his memory. ]
It'll shock them long enough not to try something for a while. I'd also quite like to see the looks on their faces.
[ admittedly, that is a part of it. ]
Something tells me I'm not much of a "kitten" in anyone's eyes but yours.
no subject
That's fine by me. My eyes are the only ones that matter, right?
[ Not that the king is ordinarily quite so confident in himself... no, well, maybe he is... but, rather, this is a train of thought that Louis himself seems to espouse from time to time, and Will is leaning into it now. ]
And I say you're my lovely little kitten with big, sharp claws.
[ A lovely kitten who's getting his brain melted via horn rubbing again... ]
no subject
when he put on the guise of clemar, he did not expect to be afflicted by this troublesome response from his body at the mere touch of Will's fingers. yet, he finds himself getting used to it, even enjoying it.
with a few soft rubs, Louis hums gently beneath his breath and sinks into the daybed, as if he's about to drift off for a nap. then he utters, feeling quite agreeable: ]
... As you say, my king.
[ it seems like it may be time for an afternoon nap before dinner, something Louis also hadn't partaken in until recently. sometimes he believes this life is far too peaceful for someone like him, other times he finds all the horrible things about his past so very far, far away.
this is one of those times. ]
♥
He doesn't have to change completely. Will has never asked Louis to change completely. But this, today — the sweet promise of an afternoon nap and a moment of vulnerability shared only with his king — it feels like a treat. A treasure hard-earned, a secret well-kept. Something for only Will, in this private moment between two kings.
Will smiles. He rests his head on Louis's chest. He settles in for that afternoon nap, too. The daybed is spacious and luxurious and comfortable, and Louis's large body feels like the perfect cushion for Will's smaller frame.
If they're lucky, no one will knock on the door until after the sun sets and all the palace staff wonder if the kings are going to want dinner. ]