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Wriothesley sneaks into the Iudex's quarters in the Palais late at night – he had some business to handle down in Meropide before he could come. They spent half their days participating in Furina's recording, so Wriothesley had to catch up with some paperwork and handle a small internal quarrel later that happened during the day.
When he finally arrives, now finished with all his duties, Neuvillette is in the middle of undressing. He's sitting at the edge of his bed and pulling off the second sleeve of his pants from his right ankle, leaning forward over his slender, long legs, his untied hair falling over his shoulder.
As he folds the clothing and puts it next to himself, Wriothesley closes the door behind him. The Judge turns his head and their eyes meet as he starts walking to his love.
"Good evening, Monsieur. Am I still in time?" He has promised to come so his question is almost apologetic, but it also gives Neuvillette a chance to confirm his visit is not a bother. They may be together for a while, but the Duke doubts they will ever stop with the formalities. Consent goes a long way.
"You're always welcome to come," the answer comes immediately in a warm tone. Lilac eyes look deeply into blue ones, and without losing their connection, as Wriothesley goes around the bed to face him, Neuvillette crosses his legs as usual. His right leg over the left, his hands resting on top of his knee, waiting for more.
But Wriothesley doesn't miss the slight flinch that taints his features for a fleeting moment. Tilting his head, he gives the Judge a questioning look, and that is enough to make him explain. They always give the option to the other to talk or stay silent on matters, but sometimes, even if not saying a word could be easier, they both have to push their limits a little.
Vulnerability doesn’t come easy to either of them but they both try – and today, it’s Neuvillette’s turn.
"Ah, it's nothing," he says and takes his hands away from his knee.
He uncovers his skin and uncrosses his legs with controlled movement, leaving his right more stretched out than the other. Wriothesley doesn’t miss how Neuvillette grits his teeth to keep a neutral expression on his face. His pale skin blooms in many shades of purple over his knee and around in all directions. It's also angry red at the sides of the bruise, and the joint looks swollen even from afar.
"That does not look like nothing, Love," Wriothesley says as he steps close to Neuvillette. He pays attention to keeping his tone calm and natural, even if seeing his love being hurt pains him.
Lowering himself to a stable half squat, one hand gently touches Neuvillette's inner thigh over the bruised area. Even if Wriothesley’s heart clenches, this is not about him, and who is he to not try to lighten the mood…? "You really did kick hard, I feel bad for the other guy now."
Neuvillette chuckles softly at his bad attempt at a silly joke, and his slender fingers brush over Wriothesley's cheek with affection.
"I requested a medic to check on him after that."
Of course, he had, Wriothesley thinks. It’d be unlike him if he hadn’t – always thinking about everyone and putting them first before considering himself. Even if this is ‘just a big bruise’, it shows the Judge’s character well.
Wriothesley's fingers caress the pale skin on Neuvillette's thigh with a small motion, and while still paying attention to not directly touch the hurt area, he asks, "And what about you?"
Looking up now, he finds Neuvillette's lilac gaze and sees his eyes soften at the corners by his suggestion.
"I'll be fine, there's no need to worry."
He can’t argue, even if a part of him would like to. It feels silly to be protective over his love while he knows who Neuvillette is – yet, he can’t help but feel this way.
Tilting his head, Wriothesley lowers his gaze back at the hurt knee. With his free, left hand, he reaches to touch it from the outer side, leaving Neuvillette a chance to stop him if he'd like to – and as this doesn't happen, he gently lays his hand at the side of the joint, the edge of the bruise reaching under his palm and fingers.
Wriothesley can hear how Neuvillette inhales a little too sharp and keeps the air in when his hand makes contact, however light and tender his touch is. Usually, the Judge’s skin is cold on him, but now he can feel the inflamed hotness under his fingers and palm, even through the fabric of his black bandage-made gloves.
Even if it's the Duke who knows how it is exactly to be beaten up regularly and have bruises all over his body, somehow, seeing Neuvillette hurt like this makes his heart clench painfully again. It may heal soon but now it is a big bruise over a joint. Sometimes, you can hit something in a way that looks bad but it doesn’t hurt as much. And sometimes, even a smaller injury can be very painful. Knowing that Neuvillette flinched while moving his leg, it’s enough for him to think he hit his knee rather badly.
He knows Neuvillette heals better than a human, yet, it's hard to not feel for him when Writohesley loves him this much.
"Do you know what humans mean when we say, 'kiss it better'?" He asks in the end instead of vocalizing any of his thoughts, glancing up at his love again. He also has a faint idea that the Judge knows exactly what is going on in his head anyway.
Gently shaking his head to answer, Neuvillette finally lets the air out of his lungs as Wriothesley's hand caresses the soft skin on his inner thigh.
He doesn’t push hard but he can feel the muscle there being tight and knotted – and he almost asks if he can massage it. He knows from experience how that kind of release can help to feel better when something hurts. Maybe, he will dare to propose that later. For now, sentiment takes over him with the question he asked, which he answers himself:
"They believe, that kissing something that hurts helps it heal."
Wriothesley's gaze runs through Neuvillette's face, searching for consent or a sign that would make him retreat. But to his slight surprise, he even gets verbal permission:
"Would you like to test out this theory?"
They share a light smile before Wriothesley blinks slowly, affirmative. Now he’s sure Neuvillette understands his thoughts and he is grateful that he’s willing to play along. As silly as it is, not being able to care for him now would hurt him more than he would ever admit loudly.
Wriothesley breaks his gaze away and once again studies the shades of purple and red, painfully discolouring the pale skin. His hand from his love’s thigh slides lower and featherlight fingers brush over the edge of the bruise.
Now, he holds the source of the discomfort of the person he cares about the most; Wriothesley leans closer and lays the softest kiss he can muster on top of Neuvillette's knee.
He can hear again as the air gets stuck in his love's lungs, but he knows from experience that the small noise that escapes him is not just of pain but pleasure. For someone who firmly believes he doesn’t understand emotions well enough, Neuvillette feels deeply for the significance of small actions – and this is as clear for Wriothesley as the sky is on a trial-less, happy day.
He carefully lets go of the Judge's knee and raises to his feet. His hand gets caught – Neuvillette pulls it gently to his lips and kisses the back of his fingers. Looking over the Duke’s hand, he finds his gaze and whispers from close enough that Wriothesley can feel the hotness of his breath on his skin, "Thank you, Dear."
They once again share a little smile and Wriothesley steps closer, kneeling on the edge of the bed between Neuvillette's legs.
Two eager hands are on his waist immediately, and he leads Neuvillette to lean back onto the bed, turning him to the right to let his hurt leg fully rest on top as well, in a more comfortable position. His left holds the Judge’s thigh, stable, in the hope it helps to not jostle his knee while they change position.
Once settled, Wriothesley is holding himself over Neuvillette, close, so close, ready to kiss him senseless. But he still stops to ask, "Is this alright?"
Humming softly in a low voice, the Judge nods a little. "You kissed it better, right?” He says lightly, then adds more in a tone which is ever-so-slightly tainted with lust, “And I may require more kisses for distraction..."
Neuvillette is not one to tease him often, but when he does, it always hits his heart at the right spots.
Chuckling lightly, Wriothesley doesn't need more and his lips find Neuvillette's without missing a beat. It's a soft kiss yet somewhat hungry, a little bit desperate, and certainly comforting for both.
It's the unsaid 'I care about you' that echoes through them while they lose track of time, loving each other. Some days are to go all the way, and some are only to kiss each other until they are out of breath, even too tired to do more after a long day, only wanting and being able to hold each other, seeking and finding comfort.
Tonight is one of these – an hour later, skin touching skin below the soft blanket, with a spare pillow under Neuvillette’s knee, they fall asleep together.