ETERNAL MONARCH (FATHER-SON SAGA)

3| Disrespect And Crossing Lines

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It was one in the morning when Shivansh threw the blanket off his body and stood up. Usually, he always slept alone. As he started growing up, he started sleeping in a different room. It all started when one of his classmates told him that 'kids sleep with parents'. You can't man up if you keep seeking comfort from your father. Everything went south when he started seeking advice from his friend. 

But this mansion scared Shivansh. He was just a kid, after all. He was in an unknown place, in a strange mansion that was bigger than the building he used to live in. On top of that, he was alone in his room. He didn't feel comfortable or safe alone. After contemplating a lot, he opened his door and stopped in front of his father's room. 

Reminding himself that no matter what world he was in, Prithviraj Agnihotri was his father, he knocked on the door twice. Prithviraj was a light sleeper. Maybe because he was just an important person and danger always lurked around him, he never slept like kids. He was on guard while sleeping as well. 

But the monarch was shocked to see Shivansh standing in front of him at one in the morning. His hair was disheveled. His pajama set made him look adorable. But his tired eyes were what caught Prithviraj's attention. Before he could have asked him anything, the boy reached forward without any hesitation and wrapped his arms around his father. 

Shivansh was not as tall as his father. He was 5'9. He was not short, definitely but in front of his father's giant frame, he looked like a kid. His sudden hug worried Prithviraj. He gently hugged his child back, running his fingers through the kid's hair as he questioned his presence at one in the morning. 

"Kya hua, Shivansh? Neend nahi aa rahi?" He was surprised to find how his voice came out soft without much effort.

It must be Shivansh's distressed face that drew the soft side out of him. Shivansh immediately shook his head before looking up. His doe eyes were becoming his recent favorite thing. The innocence in his mischievous eyes tugged at his heartstrings. 

"I am scared to sleep alone." The kid admitted shamefully. He chewed his lower lip before looking up at his father again. "Aapke saath so jaau? I promise I won't disturb you." 

Prithviraj was not so strong that he could say no to the kid's face. So he simply nodded his head and closed the door behind them. Shivansh was going to sleep with his father after years. The last time he slept in his warmth was so long ago that he barely remembers how it feels to cuddle while sleeping. 

The monarch gently helped his child to get into his bed. He was not used to tucking kids to bed, but when he tucking in his son, it came out quite naturally. 

When Prithviraj also got inside the covers, Shivansh rolled onto his side and buried his face in his father's chest. He had his eyes closed and this time he was not afraid. Not anymore. Prithviraj stiffened when the kid hugged him to seek comfort. It was not every day he allowed someone to hug him. And the kid had hugged him more than he could count in a single day. 

"You must be used to sleeping like this with your father." Prithviraj pointed out, and Shivansh shook his head immediately. He wish. 

"I am sleeping like this with you after years. I... I stopped sleeping in the same room as you long ago. I wanted to grow up fast, I guess. I was such a stupid kid." Shivansh answered, laughing at his own idiocy. But he whined when Prithviraj agreed with him. 

"That you are. Quite a stupid child. Which seven year old sleeps alone?" He asked him, wrapping his arms around the kid, and making the teenager press his head closer to his father's chest.