"Do you think it'll be okay?"

"I do. You have advisors, and your kingdom is conveniently divided into regions with their own governments and traditions and precedents, and you know a lot of people from a lot of different places, and you care a whole lot about doing a good job, and I think it's going to be okay." 

"I'm not sure what I think about my advisers, honestly."

"Well, one advantage of being king is that you can appoint different ones. — what I meant is actually 'you aren't doing this alone, everybody has people to delegate to.'" 

"But even if I delegate it's my responsibility. And I have to figure out who to delegate to."

"Yeah. But — you don't have to do it alone, and there are people there to help you who have experience with the thing they're doing." 

"I should probably tell Asher soon. He'll have plans."

"Probably," he agrees. 

He shows no sign of moving. 

"Do you think you can help me?"

"I'll help you with anything I can — I don't know how much I'll be good for but there are things I think I can help with." 

"I think I need-- people I can trust." Ben sighs. "I'm not sure my dad was a very good king."

"Then I'll be that." He pauses before he says, "I'm not sure he was either." 

"It feels really-- wrong to say that, because he's my dad and I love him and of course he taught me everything I know about ruling. But."

"But," he agrees. "And. Having people around who know anything about the areas you're ruling seems likely to help." 

"Yeah. I should probably go. Talk to Asher and Tiana and Naveen and try to figure things out."

He doesn't move.

"Do you want me to go with you?" 

"I don't really want to move."

"That's fair. You could stay here and text Asher to meet us?" 

He doesn't know how to explain that he'd be uncomfortable with having his childhood best friend watch him do this, in part because he doesn't know what this is and why he'd be uncomfortable with Asher looking at it. 

Instead he just curls up more on Chen.

He curls around Ben and holds him closer, protective. 

"When you hold me it feels like things are going to be okay."

"I'm glad I can give you that." 

Maybe instead of talking to Asher what Ben is going to do is curl up quietly on Chen until he falls asleep.

Ben can do that. 

Chen tucks his face into Ben's hair and lets himself relax. 

Eventually Kaleva returns home and... the prince is sleeping on Chen's chest. Fine! This is fine.

He is uncomfortably aware that he wants to fall asleep on Chen's chest.