Chapter Text
Wriothesley couldn't survive without his daily cup of tea. His office was adorned with boxes of tea bags, each with a different scent and flavor. Lavender tea reminded him a lot of Neuvillette, for its exotic taste and cherished to relax a stressed person like him.
"There, there. You'll feel better after drinking a little." Wriothesley handed him the cup of hot tea, but at the ideal temperature so Neuvillette could drink it calmly.
The Iudex took a small sip of the lavender tea and sighed. "I'm sorry."
"If you apologize again, I'll make you drink a whole bottle of Fonta. Got it?" He couldn't help but feel bad after all the times Neuvillette apologized for feelings that, as a non-human being, he still couldn't figure out.
"Understood." However, this made the Great Judge laugh instead of apologizing again. Wriothesley brightened a little.
"I know that your job can be incredibly challenging at times. I simply hope you can trust me more when you're feeling overwhelmed. I won't criticize you for your actions or words, alright?" Wriothesley sat on top of his desk and crossed his arms, directing his gaze to the man sitting on the couch.
"Yes." Neuvillette said quietly, chagrined.
"Oh, come on." The warden impulsively got up from the desk and sat down beside him, stretching out his arms and asking for permission to hug him. When Neuvillette nodded he wrapped his strong arms around his back and filled his face with butterfly kisses on his forehead, cheeks, nose, and finally on his lips.
Neuvillette couldn't help but smile and closed his eyes, reciprocating the kiss. He had to hold the cup tightly to avoid dropping it as Wriothesley increased the fierceness of his mouth and began to fight inside his own with his tongue and imperceptible fangs.
"That's enough, little wolf." Neuvillette laughed, gently pulling away from the duke and finishing the rest of his tea, then he set the cup on the table.
Wriothesley sat more comfortably, his legs spread and his arms stretched across the top of the couch as he looked up at the ceiling. The hydro dragon sat gingerly, his hands folded and resting on his lap.
"I understand this relationship might not be what you anticipated, but I promise to love you the way you deserve and trust you more." Neuvillette spoke first, being silenced a few seconds later by the other.
"Neuvi, no one is born knowing how to love. Life prepares us to make mistakes and accept them. You already did, dear. Since I met you, you've given me enough love to stay alive." Wriothesley stared at him, as his gaze revealed that he was completely sure of their bond.
"I understand, but I still find myself wanting to give you more than I am able to provide. It is bizarre."
"I know, I feel the same way."
They both smiled as they wrapped their bodies in each other's scent again. Wriothesley felt the soothing vibrations coming from the dragon's throat, which he had learned were a sign of safety and pleasure, petting his white hair and avoiding touching his blue horns without permission. Neuvillette stroked the scars in plain sight on his boyfriend's body, knowing the history of each one and asking permission with his fingers to move from one to another.
"From this place I can't tell if it's still raining in the city. What's your opinion?" Wriothesley kissed his head.
"I assume the hydro dragon must be quite calm right now. It seems like saying that childish sentence actually helped him."
"I hope so, because I don't want to see any tears on this beautiful face." Wriothesley laughed as he caressed his beloved's still damp cheek. After a while he couldn't help yawning and tried to hide his drowsiness. Neuvillette noticed and leaned back on his left shoulder.
"Don't worry, we need to rest after all."
Wriothesley snuggled into Neuvillette's neck, never letting go and putting them both in a more pleasant sleeping position. He was confident that his dreams would be free from the nightmares about his childhood that plagued his mind. Instead, he anticipated a peaceful sleep, where he would swim in the depths of the beautiful ocean alongside the king of the seas, his hydro dragon, his Neuvillette.
"Sleep well."
Then, just as he was about to close his eyes, some quiet footsteps alerted his senses. A short figure had quietly climbed the stairs to his office and watched from afar with clasped hands.
"Sigewinne, why don't you come closer, sweetheart?"
The melusine approached with flushed cheeks. Wriothesley made some room for her to lie down on the couch. Neuvillette nestled her between their bodies like a snake wrapping her young to protect them from the dangers outdoors.
"I told you." Sigewinne gently smacked Wriothesley's head.
"Ouuch. That hurt!! I think I'm dying. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Help me, great nurse!"
"Wriothesley." Neuvillette reprimanded, making the melusine giggle as she curled up on the couch.
"Good night, darlings."
After all those stressful days, Neuvillette felt he could breathe freely without drowning in the dreadful trials, ruthless criminals, and the weight of sin that Fontaine would live with for many years ahead.
He might doubt about his purpose again in the future, but he knew that a light would be with him in any uncertainty, and that blessing was Wriothesley. He remembered Egeria's words, forcing him to open his eyes to the new reality he was living.
Love was still a difficult thing to comprehend, but at that precise moment, wrapped in a bed with people who cherished and cared for him, he realized that he could call that feeling ‘love'.
On the outskirts of Fontaine, people were leaving their homes and welcoming the morning with brilliant sunlight.
The deluge was finally over.