Work Text:
Wriothesley liked working from a small café near his workplace whenever he was able to. He had many reasons to enjoy it more than his noisy Superintendent’s office at the juvie. He wasn’t there for people or the ambiance even, although the latter was not so bad with the simple industrial decor and cozy black armchairs and sofas. And flowerpots in which wild monsteras and other strong, indestructible plants were growing were actually used cans, he appreciated the environmental touch along with the simplicity.
It was the tea that kept bringing him there at least once a week. The weekly tea special deals to be exact.
He was now facing the hard dilemma that fell upon almost all tea lovers over thirty years old with a stable income.
He had too much tea at his place. The cupboards, drawers, that ambiguous space with shelves near the window between the kitchen and living room - all of those were overflowing with tea of all kinds. The Pu-Erh cakes have piled up on his counter kitchen going up so high that they were almost touching the hanging cupboards. Matcha and all related utensils proudly occupied the glass display in the living room. He almost always had to struggle with closing one of the kitchen drawers because it was overflowing with Georgian and Nepal teas he bought at a tea festival during summer.
He loved his tea. But he was also rational enough to see that it had become a problem.
One that required a solution and the solution was the weekly specials at the café called Oratrice, just 3-minute walk away from his workplace. If any emergency happened, he could just pack his bag and run to the center. If not, he could enjoy his tea in a much calmer atmosphere.
And, what was most important, whenever he craved a new tea, instead of buying a whole bag which would be catastrophic for his already heavily tea-infested apartment, he could just check out whatever weekly special they had to offer at the moment.
Of course, while this solution worked great most of the time, whenever tea turned out to be exquisite like the wonderful Darjeeling boosting with floral and citrus notes, he would realize that this whole grand plan of his might not be that smart after all and he was falling victim to café’s brilliant sales strategy. Because he needed a whole bag, the thought that the tea would be gone next week and he would not be able to drink it whenever he wanted to, displeased him. It did not annoy him, nor did it contribute to his anxiety, he just profoundly didn’t like the idea.
He needed to get a whole bag.
He locked his laptop and stood up. As soon as he did his eyes met another pair, so light blue that they seemed silver, belonging to a lawyer guy seating in a corner.
They never spoke but as regulars, they shared a sense of familiarity with one another. And maybe sexual attraction, Wriothesley would not deny it. But at the same time, they were both not twenty anymore, hell, the guy was probably at least just over forty judging by his whole demeanor. Stripped by years of teenage bravado, being at the age when most people were not single, neither of them approached one another, they just looked.
The guy was there several times a week, usually during morning hours. He would always order something to drink and a croissant and then bury himself in files and a large, worn-out volume on criminal law. He was always perfectly poised and dignified, he sat with his back straight and clothes were always something for eyes to linger on. He fancied elegant vintage fashion, his deep blue suits always had a certain uncanny flair to them, either granted by the material itself or added by a broth or a cravat. His long, silver hair made Wriothesley want to run his fingers through it.
He was not ashamed to say he would love to fuck that man or get fucked by him, he wasn’t exactly picky.
But at the same time, in the back of his mind, he hesitated. He wasn’t an asshole that would ruin the safe place that clearly the café was for both of them. What would he achieve? Sure they would sleep together once or twice but after that, all that would be left would be the awkwardness poisoning their run-ins at the café. And there was little chance that put-together guys like the handsome lawyer would stay with someone like Wriothesley who was occupying this odd space between a slightly timeworn bad boy and a capable, responsible guy. He’s been through this, the ones who fell for his capability left disappointed crashed by the motorcycle, aloof attitude, and tea obsession. The ones that fell for the bad boy with dreams to fix him, disappeared as soon as they discovered that there was little to fix actually.
Wriothesley didn’t really get it and at this point, he was exhausted with it, mostly.
He walked towards the counter and asked for the whole bag of Darjeeling. He could feel the lawyer guy still checking him out but as soon as he turned around, the latter instantly averted his gaze.
Wriothesley let out an exasperated sigh. Completely honestly, once upon a time, he hoped that the lawyer guy would approach him first and they would have that wild affair he was dreaming about. But it never happened. Because despite his age, the lawyer guy acted like a teenage girl with a crush.
As he walked back to his table, he intentionally picked the route closer to the lawyer. He always did that.
A while ago he decided that if the mutual staring wouldn’t stop, he would eventually start a conversation with the man. And he knew exactly what would be a conversation starter.
The cup of warm beverage in front of the lawyer. Of course, since it was a café, he imagined it had to be some sort of tea.
A very light tea as it was completely transparent. It also didn’t give off any fragrance. But a tea-lover like Wriothesley wouldn’t give up so easily. Every time the man was in the café, Wriothesley would pass by his table and assess the drink. He knew that eventually, he would guess what kind of tea was that. And then he would casually confirm his hypothesis by approaching the man and asking if he guessed his drink correctly. If he would be impressed - Wriothesley would pursue him. If he was put off by Wriothesley’s tea knowledge - Wriothesley’s dreams about touching man’s hair would be shattered forever but at least he would know that there was no point in flirting with the guy anymore.
He tossed a look the the beverage, clear as always. He had no idea what it was despite months of passing by it and it was slowly starting to bother him.
He was a relaxed man but even he had some limits.
Something odd happened in September. Wriothesley came into the café only to find his preferred seat by the window occupied by a young student couple. His second preferred seat was occupied as well, by two girls chatting vigorously. He looked around. Only several vacant chairs remained but all tables were already occupied by other people. He hesitated, contemplating whether to leave entirely or with a tea butchered by a takeout paper cup when suddenly he heard a gentle, steady voice beside him.
“You can sit with me,” the familiar hot lawyer person said. He closed the distance between himself and the counter and casually retrieved his mysterious drink from the staff member. This time Wriothesley was very close to it, but he still couldn’t pick up any familiar scent from the tea. He picked up the fragrance the lawyer was wearing on the other hand and he smelled divine, whatever the perfume was, it made him think about mermaids, starfish, and depths of the sea.
“Thanks. Do you know what’s going on?” he asked, slowly realizing what was going on.
Finally, the guy was making a move. And that was not something Wriothesley would question.
“An influencer came here and made a post about us,” the barista sighed heavily. “Usually, after something like this, it gets busy for a week or two but eventually it all returns to normal. After all, the memory of the internet is relatively short when it comes down to viral places. Please stay with us?” she added with a small dose of both hope and desperation.
Of course, no one wanted to lose regulars over one influencer’s post.
“No worries,” Wriothesley's eyes moved to meet the lawyer’s. “We’ll just sit together until this flood is over.”
He saw a faint shadow of a smile on the lawyer’s face. He received an assuring nod and then the man casually sauntered back to the table. Wriothesley really tried not to stare but how could the man be wearing thigh-high boots? Sure, the weather was tricky lately but no weather called for thigh-high boots, they belonged on runways and in sexual fantasies. And apparently on this man’s legs because they looked as if they were made for him.
“Thank you!” the barista let out a relieved sigh. “So, what tea you would like to have today? Weekly special?”
“What is weekly special?” Wriothesley turned to her.
“Kabusencha,” the barista replied with a perfect pronunciation of a cultured weeb. But it was not her impeccable knowledge of Japanese vowels and consonants and how they go together that made Wriothesley’s heart skip a beat.
“You’re shitting me,” he gasped.
“I’m not. It’s from Kagoshima,” again, the perfectly pronounced word struck him right in his chest. “But it’s so crowded this week that I have only a few packages left, should you want the whole thing. Should I keep one aside for you?”
“Just give me all of them,” he said seriously.
Kabusencha was not easy to come by. It was a mix between sencha and gyokuro, something truly exquisite, and while gyokuro was one of the best teas he has ever had, it was a tea for special occasions only, to be had once in a while. Kabusencha was similar, had the familiar sweetness of gyokuro but at the same time was more casual, something that could become a daily pleasure, while maintaining the richness of premium taste.
He had to have it.
“Dude,” the girl rolled her eyes. “Just to point out, this is an expensive tea. I know you have money and don’t care but I also sold you two other special teas this month. And three the previous month. It’s not my problem but where do you keep all that tea? It’s not humanly possible to drink this much. I get that you love it and as a seller I should support your addiction but man, it will not be good for the business if you die. I heard there was a lady that drank too much tea and died.”
“She was drinking over 100 bags of tea every day for 17 years and got skeletal fluorosis from it,” he corrected her.
“How much do you drink?”
He felt judged. How much tea did he drink every day anyway? Probably close to ten mugs. Not a hundred so he was safe. But she had a point. He had no place to keep all the tea he was buying.
“Fine, sell me just two packages,” he bargained. “But first give me a cup to drink here. So I can check the quality first.”
“Gladly,” she said with a customer service smile so professional that it really impressed him. It was a pity he most likely would have a hard time convincing her to work for him - people generally didn’t fancy the idea of working in the juvie. But, he could tell, she would be doing a great job wherever she went.
He chatted with the girl a moment longer, his thoughts slowly shifting towards the fact that in a moment he would most likely talk with the hot lawyer guy.
He didn’t really feel ready for that talk. He liked the distance between them, it was safe. It gave him something pleasant to look at without taking any risk.
That was until the risk appeared now.
Eventually, his tea was ready, and with a small pot and a cup he turned towards the table by the window, usually occupied by the lawyer. Most of the dossiers and pieces of paper were moved to make space for another person to put their own things, and the croissant was gone as well. He slowly approached it and placed his tea on the table.
“Hello again,” he said.
Bright eyes lifted up from the file resting at the edge of the table adorned with notes, highlights, and post-its. They were piercing, Wriothesley felt as if they were glaring at his very soul. Blood rushed through his veins and he felt a familiar warmth of excitement spread through his body.
Screw the distance, this was definitely better.
“Hello,” the guy replied. “I believe it’s high time we met.”
His tone was decisive, and direct but calm and collected. Wriothesley liked that very much. But hesitated momentarily before he took out his laptop from the bag and put it on the table, it was a logical thing to do since both of them had come here to do their work. A displeased frown that appeared on the lawyer’s face was worth pretending. With a smirk, Wriothesley slid the laptop slightly to the side and leaned in, confident now, that the man was just as interested as he imagined.
“So, judging from all these files, you’re a lawyer?” he asked, starting a conversation.
“A judge,” he was corrected. “Neuvillette,” the man introduced himself.
Wriothesley whistled. Neuvillette was quite famous in the circle of people involved with law and law violations. He was the judge who always was extremely insightful and fair, everybody respected him.
“Wow, you’re the man who sentenced quite a few of my kids,” Wriothesley chuckled. “But they all deserved it so don’t worry, I’m not holding it against you.”
“Your kids?” Neuvillette raised his eyebrows, his eyes full of inquisitiveness.
“Yeah. I’m Superintendant at the juvie down the street,” Wriothesley replied, getting ready for the blow that would likely come any moment.
Good guys like this one often had some deeply rooted prejudice against juvenile detention centers and connection to criminals in general. Even though Wriothesley was not confined there, in their eyes he was exposed to this pathological factor and hence became impure. He had more than enough dates that went south after he described his job, and he knew well enough to share it quickly now. Then they could both walk away with no hurt feelings.
Neuvillette’s reaction could not be more different from what he had expected.
“I have to say, I always found your work truly admirable, Wriothesley,” the other man froze at the realization that Neuvillette was actually familiar with his name and his work. “My function involves post factum and is just a sad attempt to make right things that are already broken beyond repair.No verdict of mine will ever bring the victim back to the state they were before the crime was committed, it can only attempt to make things slightly more fair towards them. You, on the other hand, have a great impact on crime prevention. You can show those kids that they have other futures, that they can rise from the ashes and achieve great things although their start in life was shaky. And from the statistics I’ve read, the results you bring are tremendous.”
Wriothesley did not wake up today thinking that the greatest compliment he had heard since god knows how long would come today, from a random chat with the hot guy from the Oratrice he had been checking out for months. But he appreciated it. A smile bloomed on his face.
“Thank you, it means a lot to hear that.”
“You deserve it.”
Neuvillette’s tone was sincere, Wriothesley was certain it was not empty flattery or flirting. This man was speaking honest truth.
He was flabbergasted.
It indulged himself in a few sips of kabusencha to calm himself.
(The tea was wonderful. Just wonderful. The taste was to die for.)
“I think your job is also extremely important,” he said. “The prevention and reformation works only to an extent. Crimes will always be committed. And from what I saw in the case files I get, you always treat them as people with respect, you always give them a benefit of a doubt. And you never, not even once, passed a verdict I didn’t agree with.”
They kept talking about the justice system after that. It was… much deeper and more enriching than whatever conversation Wriothesley imagined they would be having. He found out that he genuinely enjoyed Neuvillette’s company and conversation skills. Suddenly, he started thinking about them not just hooking up and fucking but actually being together, spending quiet evenings together with a book and tea under a blanket and that was not a territory he ventured into often. With anyone. He couldn’t even remember when was the last time he thought about this sort of thing.
But Neuvillette seemed like the person he actually could be around for a longer time. He was intelligent and had strong moral standing but also compassion. He was deserving respect, noble, fierce, and hot as fuck. Wriothesley regretted not approaching him sooner.
And then, out of the blue, he managed to ruin it all with one question.
It was Neuvillette’s fault really. Because he took a sip of his drink and watching how his Adam’s apple moved when he swallowed did something to Wriothesley that just completely shattered his concentration and he couldn’t remember what even they were talking about a few seconds earlier. Not to seem like a horny asshole, he decided to swiftly change the subject and at the same time satisfy his curiosity.
“Sorry to switch topics but it’s been pestering me. What tea are you always drinking?” he asked.
“Oh,” Neuvillette looked at his cup. “It’s just water.”
For the next few seconds, Wriothesley was in complete denial. He thought he misunderstood what Neuvillette just said.
“But it was hot,” he argued.
“It’s hot water,” Neuvillette clarified, crushing his hopes and dreams. “They have good water here.”
“You drink hot water and eat croissants,” Wriothesley said, not believing that he was actually describing reality.
“Yes,” the cruel words of confirmation scratched against his ears.
“You come into a place that serves gyokuro, butterfly pea tea, rare blends of earl gray, genmaicha, and specials that can blow your mind but you come in here and order hot water. Why the hell would you do that? What went wrong with your life to reject tea for water?”
Instantly, he felt that he might have gone too far. Neuvillette’s complexion changed, he looked upset, maybe even hurt. With an exasperated, disappointed sigh, he shut the file that was lying in front of him and gathered the rest, swiftly putting them in his bag.
“I am sorry to say that it clearly won’t work out. Have a pleasant day. I have to go already, the time of the hearing is approaching.”
“Hey, wait…!” Wriothesley tried to stop him but Neuvillette was already walking towards the door and out of the shop. It took just a few seconds for his low ponytail adorned with blue ribbon to disappear from sight.
Wriothesley cursed and gritted his teeth.
He screwed up. Badly.
The leftovers of Neuvillette’s water were still in front of him. He reached out, picked up the cup, and brought it to his lips.
Damn, this water was good. Of course, not even close to the tea, but extremely good water. He suddenly remembered one of the tea masters he encountered who insisted that the tea quality majority depended on the quality of the water, even if the tea was premium quality, without good water, it would turn out disgusting.
No wonder every tea he tried at the store tasted so good.
When he would meet Neuvillette next time, he would have to apologize. Still, Wriothesley didn’t understand how could someone choose water over tea but hell, at least it was some god damned good water.
*
Neuvillette didn’t come back. Wriothesley came to the café almost every day for the next two weeks and always felt the cold stab in his heart when he found the familiar seat by the window empty.
He ruined what could have been the best relationship of his life because he got offended for the sake of tea. Not that the tea didn’t deserve to be defended, he just got a feeling that he overreacted. And that his delivery could have been much better.
His bestie Clorinde was already sick of his texts about the whole ordeal and told him to shut up already and move on.
Instead, he tried to force her to pass a message to Neuvillette when she was at court next time and she was there quite often thanks to her high arrest rate that made her even more badass detective than she already would be without it. She was a fierce woman who was slaying this job and he knew if she entered the courthouse and said she needed to speak with Neuvillette, nobody would blink. But she refused to help him ‘in his pathetic pursuit of a romance that didn’t even last one date’.
Whatever. Maybe Neuvillette would come to the café eventually. Wriothesley couldn’t have been the only reason he kept coming, right?
(Maybe he was, after all, Neuvillette was ordering water, not the tea that was making people come back to the café)
Wriothesley ordered online some fancy water. Just in case. If by chance had an opportunity to hand over an apology gift.
A couple more days had passed.
His gym buddy Alhaitham ostentatiously put on his headphones whenever he heard the words ‘Neuvillette’ or ‘water’ coming out of his mouth and when after the gym Wriothesley tried to invite him out for tea or beer, he was met with cruel rejection.
“My husband just turned his last project in earlier tonight, he will scream blue murder at me if I’m not home early," Alhaitham said, showing little emotions and care as usual. "But even if it wasn’t for him, I would still never voluntarily join you for the next hour of your moping. If you like that guy, find him on social media and send him a message. Hell, if you can’t find his personal account, he's a renowned judge, he should have a LinkedIn profile. Hit on him there. And stop talking about one messed up date, it’s exhausting.”
Wriothesley’s face scorned.
“I’m not hitting on anyone using LinkedIn, that sounds gross and desperate.”
“Tell that to all the people who hit on my husband there,” Alhaitham sighed.
“I thought Kaveh said those were potential clients,” Wriothesley recalled but Alhaitham gave him a meaningful look. “Fine. I’ll look him up if he doesn’t come to the café by the end of the week.”
“Good. And then, please finally shut up about the water incident.”
“I don’t think I ever heard you say please,” Wriothesley chuckled. “Married life is turning you into such a cute softie.”
It was a huge exaggeration. Alhaitham was as far from a cute softy as an always scowling man can get. Still, Wriothesley liked to tease him.
“Kaveh said that the word ‘please’ can make people more willing to concede to my authoritative demands. I conducted several experiments and so far it seems that he was right,” Alhaitham shrugged.
At moments like this, Wriothesley truly pitied Kaveh. Alhaitham was fun as a gym buddy he saw once a week, honestly, he never had a better arm day companion. But this man had to be a nightmare to deal with on a daily basis.
So kudos to Kaveh for putting up with that. And a bear hug full of care and compassion to charge him up.
Although Alhaitham’s social capabilities were questionable, to say the least, the idea of looking Neuvillette up and apologizing wasn’t that bad. He decided to do so over the weekend.
But in the end, he didn’t have to.
He was doing weekly checks in his juvie on Thursday afternoon when he received a text that made him drop everything he was doing (except for important tasks that had to be done today) and leave work immediately (well, after 20 minutes he needed to actually complete the tasks but after he was done, he ran).
Weebarista
Hey, come over
The lovely girl who witnessed the water disaster and then watched his misery for two weeks had taken pity on him and at some point asked for his number. She promised to text him if Neuvillette would come back.
Before entering the café he quickly checked himself out in the mirror. His hair was slightly messy from the run but it didn’t matter much, maybe only made him look sexier. Anyway, he knew well that it was always his ass that drew the most attention and a quick would not ruin it, maybe only the opposite actually.
As soon as he entered, he scanned the room but to his horror, he did not find Neuvillette. He promptly walked up to the bar.
“Where is he?” he asked.
“He didn’t come,” the barista replied.
Wriothesley sighed. He expected he had it coming. “Is it an intervention then?”
The young barista rolled her eyes. “I don't care enough about this drama to organize intervention for you, whatever you and the other guy do is your business. A teenager came looking for you. Seems like she has something to say to you. It’s that one in the corner.” he showed him the direction with a casual nod. “Go talk with her, I’ll bring you tea.”
He turned to see who she was pointing at and instantly felt at guard. The girl in the corner could be thirteen or fourteen. She had long hair similar to Neivilette’s but a slightly different shade, less silverish. Wriothesley didn’t have any idea how he would even begin to describe her hairstyle if anyone asked, it was something that looked like a strange experiment from TikTok, puffy and curly close to her head but long and almost straight on her back.
The most striking were her eyes, a stunning case of heterochromia, one was bright blue and the other dark. They adorned her cute oval face like gems.
Her clothes looked expensive and extravagant, she clearly had no idea what minimalism and simplicity were. Her drink only further confirmed it, it looked barista’s nightmare with various colors mixing in the tall glass and whipped cream adorned with raspberries and chocolate sprinkles at the top.
One look at her made Wriothesley almost certain that this girl was spoiled rotten and dealing with her would be annoying as fuck. Compared to her type, the alleged bad kids at his juvie were a real delight to deal with. But he braved up and approached her.
“Hi, I heard you’ve been looking for me,” he said, taking a seat in front of the girl.
She frowned, probably trying to look more threatening. It made her look like a chihuahua instead.
“You’re Wriothesley ?” she confirmed.
“Yeah, that’s me.”
And after that, it was as if a dam broke. The girl clearly had a whole speech prepared because the speed and agitation of her outburst were shocking. She even stood up for better delivery.
“You asshole! How dare you offend Grandpa’s water?! He’s an emotionally fragile, respected man, he should not be dealing with some guy questioning what he should and should not drink! Who do you think you are?! He’s been down and moping for three weeks already! Do you have any conscience?!”
Wriothesley’s head got stuck in the first sentence.
“Grandpa?” he repeated.
The calculations raced off in his head. She definitely was related to Neuvillette, he could see the family resemblance. So statistically, people had their first baby when they were approaching thirty on average. Let’s change it to twenty-five to consider the possible minimum. So let’s say 25+25+13 that was… 63. Neuvillette looked forty, definitely not sixty-three.
Just what anti-aging cosmetics was he using? He needed to ask if they would ever be back on a talking basis.
“Isn’t Neuvillette too young to be a grandfather?”
“DO NOT QUESTION MY FAMILY’S LIFE CHOICES!” she shrieked angrily, causing a few people to turn their hands and look at them.
“Shhh, calm down girl,” Wriothesley begged her, feeling that if this conversation lasted too long, he would be leaving the café with a devastating headache.
“You just don’t understand what you have done,” she scoffed, more quietly, probably she realized that screaming in a public place was not the greatest idea she had that day.
“Okay. Then explain,” he said.
“Why did you offend his water?” she asked instead.
“Because I’m a tea person,” he said without a better explanation. “It was a mistake, I spoke without thinking. I wanted to apologize but he didn’t come back.”
“Yeah, of course, he didn’t, Grandpa thinks you look down at his water and hate him.”
Wriothesley rolled his eyes. “Girl, your grandpa is a person I respect more than you can imagine. Even if he comes to the café to drink water. I read his verdicts they are so good, he earned my forever respect with them,” he shrugged.
“Grandpa has a crush on you,” she said bluntly. “I don’t get his taste in man in the slightest but he was really upset by what you said.”
“You shouldn’t really use the word crush in the context of a middle-aged man, it sounds weird,” Wriothesley said.
“I know what I said. And it’s a crush. And he’s emotional about it like a teenage girl. He’s generally a very emotionally vulnerable person,” she said. “So if you can’t handle that, you'd better run away now. And I mean what I say. Whenever he has a bad case at court, he comes back home, changes into his favorite worn-out oversized otter hoodie, wraps himself in a blanket, grabs ice creams and plushies, and then spends the whole evening watching romcoms trying to remember that the world is not such a dark place. I’m not joking.”
This new information about Neuvillette at first clashed with what he knew but a moment later, suddenly, it seemed… endearing.
“Give me his number,” he demanded.
She crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at him with animosity.
“No. I don’t like you. You called my grandpa’s water stupid, you don’t deserve to date him.”
“I never called it stupid,” Wriothesley argued.
“Shame, that’s what he understood,” she rolled her big eyes. “You must have really wonderful communication skills to get so misunderstood.”
“Look, girl-”
“My name is Furina,” she interrupted.
“Look, Furina,” he started again. “I admit I made a mistake. I’m a really good listener though, and a great shoulder to cry on. Info confirmed, my bestie’s girlfriend is a huge crybaby and recommends my humble services. And I know how to apologize if given a chance,” he said and opened his phone and showed her the packages of premium water he ordered just in case Nuvillette would give him a chance to apologize.”That’s for your grandpa.”
She judged him carefully.
“I still think he could do much better than you,” she said.
“Of course he would,” he agreed.”He’s a great man. But he clearly wants me, so give me his number.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line, the eyebrows twisted in a frown. She was focused now, weighing down all the options.
“I want a pumpkin spice latte to go after I drink this and you will pay for it,” she finally decided. “And I will give you his number.”
“Deal,” Wriothesley replied instantly.
“And for the record, he’s not my real grandpa, he’s my uncle but he’s such a boomer he deserves to be called grandpa at all times.”
Wriothesley tried not to show openly how much relief this piece of information brought him.
“How long does it take to build this much muscle?” she changed the subject casually. “If you have this much on your ass, is it uncomfortable to sit? I mean, it seems like nature gave you a soft cushion to be comfy and you decided to ruin it with the workout.”
“Well, clearly your grandpa likes how it looks,” he smirked.
Furina winced and made a move to the side of the table pretending she was puking.
Wriothesley spent the next hour replying to the girl’s curious questions, some making sense to a degree, others utterly ridiculous.
He didn't even wait until the next day before texting Neuvillette. He came back home, did some small research on possible dates based on the scraps of information Furina gave him and those he already knew about, and an hour later, he felt ready. He took out his phone and sent the first messages.
Wriothesley
Hello, handsome
It’s the deeply regretful asshole from the café who offended your water
If you’re open to it, I’d love to gift you a few bottles of this wonderful drink as an apology
<picture of premium water attached>
Neuvillette
Who gave you this number?
Wriothesley
A slightly annoying 13-year-old
Good thing she’s only your niece and not daughter, I don’t know how much exposure to her attitude I would survive on a daily basis
Neuvillette
I am her legal guardian
Wriothesley
Just pretend I didn’t write the last text what a lovely young lady
Neuvillette
I have huge doubts about it working out
Wriothesley tensed up. He decided to play up to a strength that he was confident about. He grabbed a marker, marched towards the bathroom, and wrote “RECONSIDER” in bold letters across his chest which took a bit longer because first of all, he was writing it on himself, and secondly the letters needed to be mirrored for the argument to work. But he knew it was a very strong argument.
After he sent a mirror selfie to Neuvillette, the other man was quiet for a moment. Finally, he received a reply.
Neuvillette
While I have to admit the view is sublime I hoped to base this relationship on shared moral standing, views, and respect. As well as enjoyment coming from time spent and the delight of getting familiar with each other personalities and appreciating one another.
Not the carnal aspect which of course is important but I do not plan to get together with someone just to indulge in it.
Wriothesley
Allow me to take you out on a date then, babe ;)
Neuvillette
I am serious here, if you’re in it for quick fun, I have to decline no matter how your pectoral muscles or glutes look like
Wriothesley
Yeah, your niece already told me you get emotionally attached to everything and don’t do flings
You’re quite endearing really
Neuvillette
That’s not how you should speak to a man over forty
Wriothesley
Are you sure, darling? Because I think you’re really cute and deserve to hear that
Suddenly, another message popped up on his screen, not coming from Neuvillette this time but from Furina. (Yes, they exchanged contacts, especially since she said that if her mood was right, she would help him woo her grandpa if he really wanted to.)
Furina
LMAO
<attached picture of Neuvillette, sitting by the kitchen table, hiding his face in his palms but it was visible he was blushing up to the tips of his ears>
Dat you?
Wriothesley
Yep
Thanks for the best picture of the week
Maybe a month even rly
Furina
He’s freaking out so much
It’s so funny
He’s pretending he’s okay BUT YOU’RE SLAYING HIM SO HARD RIGHT NOW
Wriothesley
Get used to it, that’s gonna be my everyday service
Out of the blue, Furina got quiet, and suddenly Neuvillette was replying again.
Neuvillette
I confiscated Furina’s phone as she cannot respect human privacy.
I thought I should inform you since you were apparently texting her.
Wriothesley
I respect your parenting methods, babe, I met her, and taking her phone away once in a while would actually do her good imo
So if you decide to take the phone away now you must be right
You’re an excellent judge after all ;)
So about that date
I was thinking about the aquarium? They have an otter exhibit
Your little Rina roasted me for the idea claiming that this sounds like a student date and we’re old people but who is she to judge us
Neuvillette
That’s a certain beauty to a more advanced age, isn’t it? You can do whatever you wish without fearing what others will think about you
Even the childish things if your heart desires it
Wriothesley
Oho, I feel like a confession of your childish hobby is coming
Neuvillette
I just checked out the closest aquarium’s website and apparently, they give out a workbook to children visiting the exhibition, containing interesting facts about animals, questions, and exercises based on the exhibition as well as coloring pages. We are going to procure them and fill them out. The whole thing, without missing a page.
Wriothesley needed to sit down and scream for a moment. How on Earth this collected poised lawyer guy from the coffee shop was turning out to be such an adorable person?
Wriothesley
Yes we’re doing that
And if they try to tell us that we’re too old for the workbooks, I’m going to tell them I need them for work and I will be so convincing that they will not dare to refuse.
Neuvillette
How is Saturday afternoon for you?
Wriothesley
Perfect.
Like your hair.
The aquarium date was a disaster.
Well, at least to a degree. The date part worked out fine, but the aquarium turned out to be a problem because the otters that were supposed to be the main attraction for the two of them were held captive in outrageous conditions. The otters were just too many, held in a crowded space that was far too small for them. Neuvillette sat in front of them for a good 15 minutes without saying a word. He was pale and upset, his eyes were slightly teary. At first, that was why Wriothesley decided not to speak, he was afraid that Neuvillette would start crying. And crying on a first date would be bad.
Well, technically, maybe it could counted as their second date. They agreed on that.
It seemed that Wriothesley had a horrible record so far because his decisions somehow made Neuvillette upset on 2 out of their two dates.
Maybe they should have just gone to the movies or something. Or to see an opera. Neuvillette seemed like someone who liked opera. And oddly enough Wriothesley liked it a lot as well.
“Thinking about which paragraphs they violated, mister judge?” Wriothesley asked finally after a few more minutes passed.
“Among other things,” Neuvillette admitted.
“Good, that means there are some. So let’s sue them.”
Neuvillette blinked in surprise. His eyes finally jolted away from the glass behind which the otters roamed around and he looked at Wriothesley.
“Suing such entities is exhausting,” he said with grim realism.
“I know," Wriothesley replied lightheartedly although he was dead serious. "But it feels right and I’m fortunate enough to date a lawyer who is both capable and emotionally involved in the case already. So what do you say?” he asked. “And don’t you think that bringing justice to otters would be a great and romantic cornerstone to our relationship?”
“You’re a dangerous man, Wriothesley,” Neuvillette said instead of replying.
Wriothesley has heard that opinion before. It was always said with condemnation or fear. Never so softly. This unexpected tone made him lean closer to Neuvillette.
“Why is that?” he asked.
“You’re making it dangerously easy to fall for you,” Neuvillette explained looking right into his eyes with confidence that made Wriothesley want to fall to his feet.
Instead, moved forward and kissed him, pouring into that kiss all the complex emotions he felt when he was with Neuvillette, all the admiration, respect, anticipation, joy, delight, the already blooming love.
And it seemed his message got across because he felt Neuvillette smile against his lips and that brought him happiness beyond what he thought possible.
A little bit over half a year later, they won the case in court against the aquarium. They had to improve the living conditions of otters there and the progress of the works would be monitored by an official. And all the internet because Furina as an influencer made sure that the case was widely discussed on social media and social conscience would be involved. That was surprisingly magnanimous of her but Neuvillette convinced him that Furina had a conscience and was a very empathetic young woman and the likes were only one of the reasons she got engaged. Well, whatever it was, she helped them out a bit.
But the two of them actually did the majority of the work, getting in touch with specialists to get their statements, documenting, and revising legal obligations. Going to trials, procuring witnesses and arguments.
Looking at the court order and the glorious lawyer beside him, Wriothesley felt that they had become quite a power couple and he couldn’t have been more proud.
But it all paled to his greatest achievement.
He had convinced Neuvillette that actually, while water was great and so on, a cup of good tea would pair with his croissant way better.
And ever since then, they drank their afternoon tea together.