Archive of Our Own ^beta

Neuvillette is not quite sure when his life became so idyllic. Quiet mornings that started not with the awareness that he must be in court, must watch over the Lady Furina, but with a slow awakening. Gentle sunlight bathing his chambers where the curtain ruffled in the wind, soft birdsong, a sense of peace that he had not found often in the many centuries of life he'd experienced before.

It became a fixture in his life, after the flood. After Focalors had been executed, after his sovereignty had rushed through his body with all the force of a waterfall, after he had pardoned the sins of all of Fontaine. When the rain had stopped, parted by his newly reawakened powers, and the sun had shone once more.

He'd not expected to live such a calm life, even after all that he'd done. He was still the Iudex, now the sovereign dragon of hydro, a fill-in Archon for a nation of people who would be too lost should they be without one. It put a bitter taste in his mouth, to pretend to be one of those who had taken the powers of the dragons, but he put up with it. The people smiled at him more, after everything. Neuvillette felt more like one of them than he ever had, in the five hundred years before.

He was taking Furina’s place, in some ways, but not really. She still performed, commandeering the opera house with her theatre company all manner for plays and performances.

(Her and that Fatui girl, Lynette, seemed closer than he'd thought they would be.)

Neuvillette wasn't fond of the position, he hated the faux adoration that came from being so powerful. People had seemed to genuinely love Furina, but then perhaps that was simply the perspective of an outsider, and he was too harsh on himself. The people might have loved him.

His train of thought, too dark for such a bright morning, was displaced when Wriothesley nudged his cheek against his chest, a clear sign he was close to waking. Neuvillette smiled softly, running his fingers through the man's dark bedhead fondly. Wriothesley hummed in satisfaction, his fingers twitching where his hand was slung across Neuvillette's stomach. His expression was soft with sleep.

Rubbing the nape of his neck with gentle pressure, Neuvillette watched as the man seemed to melt back into a comfortable snooze. How easy it was, to send Wriothesley back into sleep, when the man stayed awake far past midnight because he simply couldn't sleep. Neuvillette was similar, though, sleeping hard to come by. He'd always found it easy enough to wake for the day.

That had changed, when he and Wriothesley had started sharing his bed. The duke was so warm, a comforting line of body heat, and a steady heartbeat. It became more and more tempting, as the months went on, to simply roll over, tuck Wriothesley closer, and fall asleep again. He resisted, so far, only because Wriothesley tended to still be asleep when he woke up. Neuvillette knew that he'd fall prey to the Duke's best, though still actually poor, attempt at puppy-dog eyes.

(It was the pout, as much as it was the knowledge that Wriothesley didn't tend to ask for what he wanted. It made his heart tight with affection.)

Neuvillette simply watched Wriothesley’s sleep-soft features, the curve of his brow, his barely parted lips, the dark lashes resting on his pale skin. Wriothesley smiled so much when he was awake, real or not, because he had to. It was nice to watch his expression when it was smooth with sleep, crows feet hardly noticeable. Warm breaths puffed across his bare chest.

There was a quiet knock at the door, and Neuvillette resisted the inherent urge to shoot right out of bed to dress and answer it. Not least because he'd disturb his love's sleep.

“Monsieur?” Came Sedene’s voice, sweet and hardly audible. Neuvillette was certain Wriothesley wouldn't be able to hear it. He lifted the other man's arm, carefully tucking a pillow under it to hold up both his errant limb and head. Wriothesley nudged closer to it, humming sleepily, and though his eyes pressed tighter closed they didn't open even a little.

Neuvillette pulled on a shirt and trousers, buttoning the shirt as he headed towards the door.

“Monsieur, are you awake?” Sedene asked, and Neuvillette opened the door to look down at her. “Oh, you are!”

“Yes, I am. Good morning, Sedene, is everything alright?” He stepped outside and gestured for Sedene to back up a little before closing the door. It clicked closed and he sighed in relief.

“Oh, yes, everything is alright. Sigewinne is just asking where his Grace is, as it's getting quite late in the morning? The fortress is running smoothly, she says, but you know how she worries for him.” She explained, smiling up at him. “Is he still asleep?”

“Yes, although that's my fault I believe. He was just about to wake up and I encouraged him to sleep a little longer… but he's always sleeping so late.” Neuvillette hummed, considering for a moment. Perhaps he should let Wriothesley get back to the fortress, but then he didn't really want to. It was selfish, really, but he was. Well. Cute, where he slept so cozily tucked up in Neuvillette's bed.

Maybe it was some little draconic instinct, his nest or his hoard, but he wouldn't really know. He just knew that he wanted Wriothesley to stay just a little longer. Well, a lot longer.

Was that so wrong?

“Mm, Neuv?” He heard from inside, as well as the shuffling of bedsheets and a jaw-cracking yawn. A smile twitched onto his face. Sedene perked up.

“Well, I suppose that makes sense. Sigewinne does complain about how little he sleeps…” She mused, tapping her chin with her mitten-shaped hand. “I'll send a message to let her know he'll be back around lunchtime, if that's alright, Monsieur?”

“Yes, please do Sedene. Thank you very much, I appreciate it.” She smiled and nodded, skipping off down the hallway. Neuvillette opened the door to his rooms once more, and covered his smile with his hand when he saw a clearly half asleep Wriothesley traipse out of his bedroom with his shirt unbuttoned.

“Good morning, my Love.” He greeted, and watched Wriothesley turn to face him, stepping forward into him. He curled his arms around the other man, hands sitting flat on the small of his back. “You woke up the moment I left, hm?”

“Mmm…” Wriothesley hummed into his skin, linking his hands behind Neuvillettes' back. “Bed was cold without you.” He grumbled, though they both knew it was a lie. Neuvillette naturally ran cold; it was probably warmer without them laying together. But he wouldn't push, because Wriothesley was sleep mussed and leaning against him comfortably.

“I'm sure. Shall we return then?” He asked, grinning into Wriothesley's hair when the man mumbled something in agreement but only pressed closer to him instead of letting go so they could move. Wriothesley was ridiculously cute when he was barely awake. Adorable, even.

For such a usually serious man, behind the casual mask he wore, it was a bit of a surprise initially. Neuvillette had come to expect it.

“Meeting ‘Rina and Lynette for tea..” Wriothesley muttered. “Gotta get up ‘n eat before I need to go.” He seemed reluctant to do so, though. His arms curled tighter around Neuvillette's waist. It might have been too tight, were he not what he was. Because he was what he was, Neuvillette took the opportunity to heft the Duke upwards, doing his utmost not to laugh when Wriothesley yelped and kicked his bare feet.

“Neuv!” He complained, swatting at his back, but he was laughing, already seeming more awake. “Archons, you're so mean to me!”

There was a little whine in his voice, evidently put on, but Neuvillette was so fond of it, and of him, that he elected to ignore the comments about those celestial thieves.

“I resent that accusation, Wriothesley, I am nothing but kind to you.” He insisted, even as he shook his laughing boyfriend (boyfriend!) in his arms. He wasn't usually so… silly, he mused, or at least he hadn't been before Wriothesley. Before Furina became his friend, his daughter, instead of his boss and ward. They lit up his life simply by being there.

“He says, being mean and cruel!” Wriothesley shot back. “I can see it in the post now, ‘Breaking! Iudex Neuvillette found bullying poor ex-con orphans!”

They shared a look, both grinning like idiots, before they broke down in laughter. Neuvillette was half wheezing for breath, and Wriothesley was cackling hard enough his face had turned bright red. It was an utterly undignified display, but no one was there to witness it but them. And Neuvillette found it delightful.

When they'd calmed enough to breathe, Wriothesley pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek.

“I love you, Neuvillette.” He said softly, his smile gone from wide to gentle in moments. His calloused thumb stroked across Neuvillette's face. The crows feet at the corners of his eyes crinkled as he stared at him.

“I love you too, Wriothesley.” Neuvillette returned. It felt like more than just a return, though, like the moment ought to be worth more than that, so he said it again. “I love you, Wriothesley.” He rested one hand atop the Duke's, and the other on the other man's neck. His thumb brushed Wriothesley's scruffy, unshaven jaw.

“Let's go get ready for tea.”

“Alright, my love.”

—

Furina was already half a teapot deep by the time they arrived, laughing excitedly as she buttered a scone. Lynette was quietly sipping her own cup, watching Furina attentively. Her tail was flicking behind her and her ears were attentive. It was a rather cute expression on her, Neuvillette mused.

Even as stoic as she was, her expressions were still readable by Neuvillette. Perhaps it was the research he'd put into cats after Sedene had decided to adopt one, or his years of experience at reading people.

“Good afternoon, Monsieur Neuvillette.” Lynette greeted. She placed her teacup carefully on its saucer, waving with her free hand. “Good afternoon, Duke Wriothesley.”

“What have I said about the formalities, Lynette?” Wriothesley responded, settling himself into the chair beside the girl. She followed him with her face as he maneuvered around the table, and watched his hands with careful eyes as he started pouring himself a cup of tea. “Call me Wriothesley, please. I hate such stuffy names, really. So serious. Especially for such a calm environment.”

He took a sip of his tea and hummed appreciatively, taking a little teacake from the table. The little pastry crumbled as he took a bite, crumbs falling into his hand, carefully cupped below his chin.

Oh, Wriothesley and his tea. Neuvillette smiled fondly.

“Good afternoon, Miss Lynette, good afternoon, Lady Furina.” Neuvillette greeted in turn, sitting beside Furina. She offered him a glass of water with a grin on her face, and he accepted.

“Good afternoon, Monsieurs!” Furina chirped, offering a toast with her teacup. “And what a fine afternoon it is. I'm glad you could join us, even if you are running late. Some people are so lazy!” She huffed, sipping her tea and giving Wriothesley a discreet glare from behind the cup. The man noticed but said nothing.

“My apologies, Furina. Wriothesley wanted to leave, but I insisted we have a slow morning. All my fault, really.” Neuvillette covered his smile with his hand when her jaw dropped for a moment before she covered it. He was incredibly fond of Furina, she was like his daughter. But she could be rather mean-spirited to Wriothesley when she wanted to be. He couldn't be sure why, but he suspected it was jealousy.

Wriothesley snorted from across the table, laughing openly at what Neuvillette said. Neuvillette shot him a look, but the man waved him off.

“Nah, not on him. Slept in a bit after working late, my bad. Neuv just felt too bad to wake me after I went to be late, sweetheart that he is. But we're all here now, aren't we?” He smiled and rocked his chair back, carefree. “Let's not sweat the small stuff.”

Furina huffed but relented, looking away from him. Lynette shared a look with him, and Neuvillette sympathised with her. She grew ever closer with Wriothesley, sharing tea and secrets with him. Furina being so reluctant to actually enjoy the man's company didn't seem to grate on her too much but he had no doubt it would start to. It bothered him, occasionally. He was lucky enough that it wasn't too much of a problem, because Wriothesley didn't tend to care what others thought of him.

“Are you enjoying your tea, Wriothesley?” Lynette asked quietly, and the Duke nodded appreciatively.

“Very much, thanks for asking. What blend is this?”

Neuvillette tunes out of their back and forth conversation about the type of tea they were drinking. At some point, Furina chimed in to suggest a particular sweet to accompany it, and the two agreed with her. He did like when they got along.

He watched them chatter absently, smiling slightly and enjoying his water. It was very simple, just Fontainian and chilled, but it tasted that much better for the company. (It didn't, really, but he understood the metaphor enough to use it in his own head. Wriothesley had almost laughed at him the first time he'd said that surely his food couldn't taste different because of his own presence.)

Wriothesley was smiling broadly, laughing at most of the little snipes Furina sent at him. The girl wasn't being particularly harsh, just picking fun at him. Wriothesley seemed to care very little about it.

Furina herself was having fun. Neuvillette could tell that Wriothesley's complete lack of offense at her attempts to drive him to go away both annoyed and pleased her. She was trading teases at him with his own self deprecating form of humour. Lynette mostly watched the two interacting, but occasionally chimed in herself.

Watching them bicker seemed to amuse her, based on the flicking of the end of her tail. She was resting her chin in her hand, happily watching her friend (girlfriend? Neuvillette was unsure).

“Alright there, babe?” Wriothesley asked, knocking him out of his thoughts. The man was looking at him imploringly.

“Yes, of course. Perfect, in fact.”