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“Eth…”
The room was quiet, only the sound of the pen tapping repeatedly against the paper was noticed by the man. Piles upon piles of paperwork loomed over his mind with a grasp he couldn’t escape from.
“Rioth…”
Wriothesley dragged the tip of his pen along the paper, recreating his signature once and a while with a long sigh. Eyes lidded as he traced every word. Examining every portion of it before he could mindlessly accept.
“Wriothesley,” A voice snapped above him, a cup of coffee sitting in front of him, “Mon amour, you’re zoning out again.” Despite the usage of pet names being zero between Wriothesley and Neuvillette in public, they went and did as they pleased in the privacy of their offices or shared room.
He sheepishly looked aside, “Really?” Wriothesley nonetheless rolled his thumb over the rim of the cup, sighing curtly. “Lately there’s been a lot of work, so I can’t quite--” He paused, “Well, I can’t see the end of paperwork nowadays. Is everyone so terribly guilty that I’m stuck with whatever the hard part is?”
Neuvillette sternly sighed, eyebrows knit, “I don’t like it just as much as you do.” He reached forward, gloved fingers brushing back dark strands of hair, “You’ve been losing too much sleep over it. I wish I could help.” Neuvillette was beautiful, and nothing short of it. With graceful features and calm oceanic eyes that could quell the fear of anyone who held their gaze long enough. Or inflict more from Neuvillette’s high status.
Wriothesley sighed nonetheless, “Well, as long as it’s nothing we both can help, it’ll be fine.” He reached forward, looping his arms over Neuvillette’s waist and pulling him onto his lap. The two sharing a lazy yet tender kiss with the reassurance nobody would walk in. “Do we really need to be such a secret?” Wriothesley rasped once he pulled away from those sweet lips he loved so dearly.
Neuvillette’s eyes were lidded, pressing his thumb to Wriothesley’s bottom lip, “Oui. You and I both have our differing statuses. Besides, it would be quite the scandal. Name three other gay couples-- open couples in Fontaine.”
“Good point,” Wriothesley mumbled with an exasperated sigh, nipping Neuvillette’s fingertip, “This sucks. Having a beautiful boyfriend… and not knowing if some girl will hit on him.” He leaned forward, tightening his arms around Neuvillette as he buried his face into the crook of his neck. It was warm. The distant scent of the ocean and fresh rain filling his senses.
“I assure you…” Neuvillette spoke through a smile, “I’m not one to get women fawning over me. If anything, that’s you.”
Wriothesley didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, shaking his head firmly, “Don’t charm me.”
“How else did I get you to date me…?”
Wriothesley scoffed, leaning forward and capturing Neuvillette’s lips onto his. Their fingers intertwined in that instance, warmth filling them both. Neuvillette pulled away, a pleased smile raising to his lips, “A masquerade is being held before the court’s garden.”
Wriothesley raised his brow teasingly, “Is this your way of asking me to attend?”
“Well, it would look bad for us both if we didn’t. Of course, our rules still apply.”
Stupid rules. Constantly Wriothesley is driven borderline insane by Neuvillette who unknowingly dangled what he could have over his head. The annoying desire to hold hands in public was one thing, but he was driven mad by how even kissing was a sin!
Wriothesley huffed quietly, “Fine, fine. Rules. Yeah.”
It was odd. Wriothesley and Neuvillette could return to their shared home, sleeping in the same bed and yet Neuvillette assumed nobody would find out about their “affair” or whatever. How bacon breakfasts was a common occurance and despite them walking to the same location and leaving said location reeking of bacon. What the fuck.
“Neuvi,” Wriothesley chimed, rather glad his day went by in a blur. He stood in the closet of their shared room, doing the buttons of his gray vest. He glanced toward the door as Neuvillette pushed it open.
Wriothesley hesitated for a moment, the man before him dressed in such beautiful and elegant fabrics that anyone would take a second glance. His tailcoat accentuated the best parts of Neuvillette’s figure, a deep blue with grays and blacks detailing it in a way that it seemed all the better.
“Ah-- uhm,” Wriothesley stumbled, glancing back and forth between his red tie left loose and Neuvillette, “Can you help?”
Neuvillette paused with a subtle smile, “Can’t you do it yourself?”
“I hurt my wrist while writing.”
The pair stood close, the warm glow of the singular lightbulb hanging over them neglecting the shadow cast by Neuvillette grasping both ends of the tie. Carefully wrapping them over and tightening it into a proper tie. Wriothesley loved the way Neuvillette was exceedingly gentle, his gloved fingertips lightly running up Wriothesley’s palm until their fingers intertwined.
“I hope we can see each other often. Perhaps sharing a dance wouldn’t be such a sin…?” Wriothesley cocked his head with a shy smile, “I would say I’ve seen plenty of friends dance.”
“Non,” Neuvillette tapped his finger against Wriothesley’s cheek as though scorning him, “I won’t let our secret slip out.”
Wriothesley sighed quietly, his brows knitted together as he swatted away Neuvillette’s grasp like that of a pouting child, “Yes, fine. Let’s eat dinner before leaving so we can stall for a while longer…”
--
He hated these sorts of events. Why did he need to attend, even? Wriothesley fixed his tie as he swerved past giant dresses and well dressed men, his fingerless gloves dragging along fabrics by how closely knit people decided to be despite how large the garden was. Distant cheers from people watching the Icewind Suit dancers sway almost unnaturally together. Almost as though the spotlight was always on them. Wriothesley scoffed quietly, catching the somewhat distant vision of guards lining up to welcome Focalors and Neuvillette.
Neuvillette was beautiful as always, people almost immediately bee-lining to him once Focalors finished her dramatic entrance. He dipped down slightly as he swiped champagne from a nearby table, dismissing how fonta was just right next to it. Wriothesley stood by the side, gray eyes watching carefully as Neuvillette chatted with beautiful women and charming men. A blonde bowing her head with a subtle smile, though he felt a pang of hurt as he subconsciously compared himself to her. Flowing, curly blonde hair in contrast to his short and spiky black hair that already had white streaks.
Her lips curled into an elegant smile, blue eyes glimmering with intrigue-- false or true-- as her two escorts merely stuck to her side. Wriothesley rolled his thumb over his arm, crossing them tightly as the feeling only grew stronger. Everyone who spoke to Neuvillette was beautiful. Wriothesley glanced away, dragging his lips over the rim of his glass and downing it.
“Monsieur Wriothesley,” A voice called to him-- silky and light.
Wriothesley cocked his head to the side, capturing playful and warm eyes through lidded platinum blond lashes. “Ah. Lyney.” Lyney stood before Wriothesley wearing his usual outfit with a few nice additions to match the theme, his mask a deep maroon with black details. Though his hair was slicked back rather than as usual.
Behind him, Lynette shuffled slightly, wearing a rather pretty black skirt with a fluffy petticoat pushing it up. The black designs bearing ribbons and lace. Her sleeves were a puffy white with a black waistcoat with blue undertones. “And Lynette. A pleasant surprise.”
Lyney giggled slightly, though shook his head, “I don’t think so, it’s a given we attend. Focalors wants us to perform, anyway.”
“Perform?” Wriothesley set his glass down on a passing waiter’s tray, in an instant swiping a glass of Fonta rather than another of champagne.
Lyney and Lynette exchanged a look before he sighed, “Magic. Anyway, it’s later tonight, so things will probably get crowded in our area. Eager to watch? Be quick. Eager to dance alone with your oh-so secret partner? Also be quick.”
Wriothesley raised his brow but said nothing, his gaze trailing to the night sky as the soda touched his lips. It was refreshing as always. Nonetheless, “Alright. Merci f--” “Wrio.”
He paused. A chill almost running down his back as he slowly turned his head. Neuvillette peered over Wriothesley’s shoulder, lips curled into a frown that only made the sight of him all the more terrifying. “A..ah, Neuvillette. I thought you were busy with Mademoiselle Navia?”
“You’re busy with Monsieur Lyney and Mademoiselle Lynette, so I’d say we’re on equal standings on rudeness.” Neuvillette gestured towards the twins who were whispering amongst themselves, “I don’t intend to neglect you any longer, though.”
Music to his ears.
“I thought you were going to be flirting with more women before getting to me.” It was an accident. Wriothesley hesitated for a moment, realizing he blurted something so argumentative before thinking.
“Flirting?” Neuvillette furrowed his brow, “I don’t flirt.”
“Talking extensively, then,” He pressed.
Neuvillette pinched the bridge of his nose with a frustrated shudder in his breath, nonetheless tearing his gaze away from Wriothesley, “I suppose I’m not welcome here, then. I’ll take my leave befor--” Wriothesley grasped Neuvillette’s hand tightly in his, eyes narrowed with his lips pursed.
“I didn’t mean to snap. This whole secret is getting on me.” Lyney and Lynette seemed to slip off, though he couldn’t care less as his grasp on Neuvillette’s hand tightened, “I don’t like keeping you secret.”
“If…” For once, he saw Neuvillette hesitate, “If it becomes public, do you think things will be easier?”
Wriothesley knew he couldn’t lie. “Not really. But it could be. Why can’t we just take this step together already?” He didn’t want to think about what would happen if it remained a secret. If they married in secret, adopted a kid maybe, and in the end it would be all some secret.
Neuvillette slowly turned his heel, exhaling shakily as he intertwined their fingers against the side of the table as though it’d hide them in some way. The sound of the fountain gradually becoming louder, and the guests all the quieter. Almost like their first. As he leaned forward, eyes lidded as they began closing the gap and--
“Monsieur Neuvillette,” A voice called, the sound of heels gradually approaching from behind Neuvillette.
Despite their obvious frustration, they pulled away. Wriothesley anxiously fixed his tie, the frown on his face only deepening once Navia stopped before them. She was elegantly dressed-- hell, absolutely radiant. That drove Wriothesley insane.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything. But there’s something I wish to ask of you, Neuvillette..” Navia fixed the ends of her gloves, crystalline eyes glimmering under the lighting illuminating the garden.
Neuvillette turned around entirely, back now facing Wriothesley to whom sulkily tugged at silvery strands despite looking as deadpan as ever. “Of course. Let’s talk over there, shall we?”
Wriothesley grunted as Neuvillette disappeared in the crowd once more, outright defeated as he downed the rest of his Fonta and sat in one of the benches. He hated how close Navia and Neuvillette became so suddenly. Recalling how Neuvillette came back drenched from the rain and outright dismissing his own boyfriend until he was ready to tell Wriothesley of their new bond. He crossed his arms more securely, wanting nothing more than to grab Neuvillette by the collar and drag him to the side.
A hand sat on Wriothesley’s shoulder, Lyney’s welcoming smile brought back to light once he hopped off the curb, “Mon ami,” He chimed, “What’s troubling you?”
“You know, don’t you?” Wriothesley grunted, “My secret?”
Lyney tapped his cheek momentarily before nodding, “I do. Actually, I was surprised when I saw it for real. You both aren’t entirely subtle.” He plopped down on the space next to Wriothesley, it nearly felt as though they were sudden friends.
“Ah.. well,” He began slowly, “I feel he’s been growing distant lately. And since he’s already avoiding me like the black plague often in public-- it feels twice as bad.” Wriothesley would never truly rant to someone like this-- not at all, actually. But he was tipsy. Unfortunately so.
Lyney crossed his legs, leaning back against the bench with a quiet nod of acknowledgement, “Mn. Makes sense.”
The silence between them blossomed, though as Wriothesley blinked his glass of Fonta was refilled. A trick that Lyney clearly did to try and cheer Wriothesley up, he supposed.
“What, not a fan? How about your favorite brew of coffee?”
Wriothesley shook his head, “I think I need advice rather than magic tricks.”
“Ah! That’s it!” Lyney snapped his fingers, “Here’s the deal. During the magic show, you grab Neuvillette. I’m sure there are plenty of places to talk amongst yourselves-- and I think the Icewind Suite is empty around now.”
“But the mechanisms?”
“They turned off per Focalor’s order since she wants everyone watching the magic show. My thanks to her!” Lyney beamed, his eyes glimmering slightly.
Wriothesley nodded along with the idea, sipping the Fonta which tasted similarly to champagne and-- agh.. Magicians. It was champagne. He gave Lyney a skeptical look as he walked off towards Freminet and Lynette. Ah. Freminet. That must’ve taken a lot of convincing for him to actually attend.
He stood up with a soft sigh, reaching into his pocket to see the time with a subtle frown. It was an hour before midnight, then the masquerade would be over. Which was good news to him since he still technically had work tomorrow. Wriothesley snaked through crowds as people began approaching the stage prepared for Lyney and Lynette, though a familiar flash of silvery locks drove him forward even more so as he reached out to grab the end of Neuvillette’s sleeve.
“Ah--” Neuvillette paused, hesitating briefly, “Wriothesley, I’m with Madame Furina…”
Focalors peered her head from behind Neuvillette before smiling slyly, “Non!” She set her hands on her hips, “Allez voir votre petit ami en privé maintenant, au revoir!!” She waved Neuvillette off, “Go, now!”
Neuvillette shuffled slightly, mouth opening briefly as though to say otherwise yet deciding to stay silent. “Alright…”
Wriothesley smiled slightly, offering a nod to Focalors. He weaved through the crowd, grasp growing tighter on Neuvillette as the crowd thinned. The Icewind Suite’s pillars came into view, though they came down to a steady walk. Only one or two people were here, and even then they were hardly paying any mind. Wriothesley had Neuvillette’s arm hooked over his, the pair sharing a brief moment of silence.
“What’s this about?” Neuvillette murmured with brief surprise. Though he didn’t press any further as Wriothesley paused in the center of the Suite.
It was quiet, the wind still and the air cold enough for them to dance without sweating excessively. Their fingers intertwined, seeking eachother’s warmth as their faces were mere inches apart. Wriothesley loved the way Neuvillette’s eyes fluttered, lips parting briefly in a moment of hesitation. Though that hesitation ceased once Wriothesley ran his palm down the small of his back, pulling him close with a subtle smile, “It’s been a while since we last shared a dance.”
Neuvillette’s lips curled into a smile, his hand resting on Wriothesley’s shoulder, “It has.” With every step to the side followed obediently by Neuvillette, silvery strands flowed slowly in the wind. Oceanic eyes glimmering as their steps grew all the lighter-- enough that Wriothesley’s typically heavy ones were near-to inaudible. Their gazes held to each other, illuminated in the brilliant moonlight. Wriothesley enjoyed how noticeably joyous Neuvillette finally seemed to be, absolutely entranced by their very own moment.
This moment couldn’t seem to get any better, though Wriothesley took a sudden step to the side that was quickly adapted to by Neuvillette who followed as the silver-haired man was bent backwards in one fell swoop. Oceanic eyes blinked back surprise yet nonetheless his lips curled into a smile, “What?” Neuvillette’s voice was light-- enough that Wriothesley consumed it with a kiss filled with unfiltered desire. Combing his fingers through silky locks and his free hand propping Neuvillette’s leg up enough that anyone would be baffled by the position-- nonetheless, he felt no shame.
Wriothesley pulled away with a soft breath, the cold nipping his cheeks despite how they could be warmed by something as simple as a touch from Neuvillette, “Mon amour,” He rasped, “I can’t take this torture anymore.”
Neuvillette pulled himself from Wriothesley’s grasp carefully, stumbling back to his feet once Wriothesley let go, “What do you mean by torture?”
“I mean--,” Wriothesley pressed, “I can’t take the possibility of losing you to someone else. Nor watching as women approach you.”
“Oh!” Neuvillette blinked, “You’re upset over Navia? She and I started talking a bit ago-- she wanted the opportunity to be alone with a certain someone, and needed my help.” Such a stupid reason that only seemed to be right for Neuvillette, his head tilted with an innocent yet bashful look.
“Ah…” He couldn’t manage anything past that. “I’m lucky for that then. She’s beautiful. I pale in comparison.”
“Hush.” Neuvillette sighed with his arms crossed, “I needn’t hear you complain about that. Can’t you see I worry about losing you to your job?”
It seemed they were both sown with anxiety in some form. “Oh… well…” Wriothesley shook his head briefly, “Sorry.”
Neuvillette grasped Wriothesley’s hand, leading him to the stairs where they could sit. The pair merely basked in their own presence, intertwining their fingers once more.
“Okay.”
Wriothesley paused, “Okay?”
“I mean,” Neuvillette began with a huff, “We can make it public.”
After quite literally months of dating in secret, half of Fontaine was aware of the scandal-- what was the difference if another half found out? Wriothesley and Neuvillette weren’t big on PDA anyway. Though.. He felt more at rest if someone would try to flirt with Neuvillette and they could openly admit to dating. Despite trying to fight for a public relationship, he really had to think on the perspective Neuvillette had on this.
“Non,” Wriothesley hushed his lover, resting his gloved hand on Neuvillette’s shoulder, “That’s unnecessary. I think… we can be happy in secret. Besides, if it means returning home to you-- I’ll be okay.”
Neuvillette’s lips curled into a smile once more, a twinkle in his eye, “Ah, then-- secret it is.”
Wriothesley knew there would be more opportunities. He knew that in the future, they could have dates in open spaces without some stupid backup excuse locked and loaded such as “financial lookovers” or whatever bullshit people wouldn’t question. He knew there would be more opportunities of such things in general-- and for that, he’d be content.