Corgis - He didn't know when exactly he started seeing flashes of Regis after the fall of Insomnia, but he did know that seeing him hurt. A lot.
Welp this got long. I’m equally excited and sad that this is my first and only Corgis. Hopefully when I open up requests again I’ll get more, because I have such a soft spot for these two.
Not sure who to tag on this, but I’m gonna try my hand with these peeps: @jean-the-bean, @domesticfluffsimulator, @hyperstorms, @swabin10, @yaoifangirl18 and @agi92. Apologies if you wish to not be tagged. Let me know and I can untag you if you’d like.
Hedidn’t know when exactly he started seeing flashes of Regis after the fall ofInsomnia, but he did know that seeing him hurt. A lot. At first, he thought hewas dreaming. There was a fog about him, not really taking on definition. Morelike a basic outline. As time went on, however, the shape took on more and moredetail, and before Cor knew it, he was regularly coming face to face with theking he knew to be dead. It was only ever for a split second, but it was enoughto evoke the emotions that he had tried to keep hidden.
EverywhereCor went was a reminder of Regis. Those hills? They camped and hunted there fordays looking for a specific breed of daemon that was supposed to carry aparticular weapon that they both wanted to get their hands on. That river? Heand Regis spent hours soaking their tired feet in it while Clarus yelled atthem for scaring away the fish. This hotel? They bought a second room for justthe two of them, and he had spent all night showing Regis exactly how much heworshipped him from head to toe until all he had left to offer him was hisspent, naked body and kisses laced with whispered little nothings.
Hedistanced himself from everyone. The fear that they would think that Cor theImmortal was losing touch and seeing ghosts was enough to drive him away fromreaching out to people the way he knew he probably should. There wasn’t much hedid fear; after all, he had stared certain death in the face at the ripe youngage of fifteen and lived to tell the tale. But he feared that he wouldn’t beable to protect the ones he loved, the same way he had failed to be there forRegis.
A sharp,distinct sound of footfalls sounded behind him and Cor whipped around. It couldhave been anything, really. An animal, monster…even a daemon wasn’t unlikelydespite how early in the night it was, yet his gut had proved him correct inthinking it was, in fact, another flash of Regis.
“Why?”he growled, mostly out of frustration than anything, then ran, legs carryinghim as fast as he could through the trees. Hindsight told him that he shouldhave known better than to travel alone, much less at night, but how was hesupposed to show his face? How was he, a weak excuse of a man who ran from theghosts of his failures, supposed to keep strong in the face of the prince andhis posse? How was he supposed to apologize to Regis’s son for being the reasonhis father was no longer with them?
Corducked behind a rock, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. In thedistance, he could hear the daemon was Regis’s face hunting him, and he kepthis hand wrapped tightly around the hilt of his katana. He had to survive, atleast, even if there was a part of him that had perished alongside Regis. Whenhe found the gumption to stand again, he rounded back around the rock. Regis’sface stared back at him, as though he had been waiting there for him thisentire time. There was no malice, no evil intent that Cor could detect. Still,he kept his guard up.
“You canrelax. The daemon can’t see us,” Regis said. There was something distant in hisvoice, like he wasn’t quite there, but he was trying his best to reach for whathe wanted. “You’ve strayed rather far from the light.”
Corlooked over him carefully. His katana shook in his hand and rattled in the sheathas the face of a twenty-five-year-old Regis stared back at him, smiling softly.From the corner of his eye, he watched the daemon prowl around them, unable tohear or see them, as Regis suggested. A slight bit of tension melted away fromthe edges of Cor’s features.
“YourMajesty…” he whispered, shock settling into his bones and emotion surgingthrough his veins. This wasn’t happening. It wasn’t real. He had to be logicalhere. Dead kings didn’t come forth from the blue to speak to the living.
“Oh,come now, you know the rules,” Regis laughed a little and stepped closer tohim, but stopped when Cor tensed again. “There’s no need to be so formal whenit’s just the two of us.” The Marshal sighed, feeling childish even under thescrutiny of the former king’s ghost.
“…Regis…”The younger Regis smiled a little more brightly and reached out, then immediatelyfrowned as Cor winced and adverted his eyes.
“Please,look at me,” he begged, and reached out for him again. This time, Cor didn’tpull away. He didn’t need to. A harsh shiver raced down Cor’s spine as Regis’shad went straight through him, and the feeling left him more empty and coldthan he could ever remember being before in his life. Hot tears sprang of hiseyes, but he refused to sob, and he concealed his face in his hands, droppinghis guard altogether.
“I am sosorry,” Regis apologized, and retracted his hand, unable to wipe Cor’s eyes, oreven hold him while he released all of the pain that had been building up sincehe escaped from the Citadel. “I only wished to give you a proper goodbye.”
“Don’t,”Cor choked. His insides burned, and his breathing was harsh, ragged as hecontinued to fight against the sobs lodged in his throat. “Don’t go.”
Regissmiled a little then, and placed both of his hands near Cor’s. They pretended theycould feel one another, even if it wasn’t the same, and would never be the sameagain.
“I must,and you should as well. Keep fighting, and know that whatever path you should takeI will follow. You must walk tall, my love.”
WhetherCor imagined it, or it was by some miracle he felt it, Regis pried his handsfrom his face gently and kissed him with the vigor that he had had all thosenights ago in the hotel in Taelpar. Cor pressed back, desperate, needy, butbefore he knew it, the feeling was gone, and Regis along with it. The daemonhowled from behind him, and with tears in his eyes, Cor hardened his featuresand took him down with a scream that could shake fear into even the mostfearsome of foes.
Again,Regis was gone too soon. Cor wiped his blade before sheathing it again. Again,he didn’t get to tell him he was sorry. He let his feet carry him back to theroad, and then eventually back to the hotel. Again, he buried his face in thepillows and imagined that Regis was there, wondering if maybe he was, and maybehe had gone a little crazy after all.
He’dmake for Cape Caem in the morning. He couldn’t apologize to Regis, but he couldmake his peace with Noctis. It wasn’t the solution he wanted, but he had tostay strong, and he would walk tall in Regis’s stead.
Requests are closed. Remaining prompts will be filled ASAP.
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