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“Please, come in”, replies a soft voice after the, rather rough, knocking. “Hey, you asked for me? It’s quite late for job related conversations, don’t you think?” The man nonchalantly makes his way towards the desk, taking off his coat as he goes. “Well, it is a good thing then, that I didn’t ask for you to talk business”, Neuvillette says as he gets up from his chair, a slight smile forming on his lips at the sight of Wriothesleys confused expression. “Follow me, put your coat back on”.
Wriothesley does as he was told and trails after the Iudex into the cold night air. A soft wind blows, making Neuvillette’s hair flow with it, like the waves in the ocean. The moon hangs high in the sky, engulfing the area in front of the Palais Mermonia in its light. The city is empty and quiet. Only the gentle lapping of nearby waters can be heard from a distance. Neuvillette halts in front a railing, facing the sea. A prickling sensation washes over Wriothesley and he pulls his coat a little closer.
“So…what’s going on? Something wrong? Need me to take care of someone?” The Iudex chuckles, his head tilted to the sea. “No, nothing of that sort. I merely wanted to talk to you. As…acquaintances”. “Oh. Well…we can also do that, I suppose”, the confusion is undeniable in the Dukes voice, but he too now leans onto the railing, next to Neuvillette. They remain like this for a while. Until the Iudex’s voice disrupts the silence.
“Did you ever think about the concept of…immortality?”
Wriothesley huffs out a breath of air, laughing slightly. But when he looks over to Neuvillette and his melancholic expression, he silences himself and considers his question for a while. “Can’t say I did before now. But it seems quite lonely, doesn’t it? I mean you meet all these people in your life, just watch them come and go, witnessing all these lifetimes. And all that remains are you and the memories you have of them. Unless of course, you have someone to spend eternity with”.
Wriothesley looks over to Neuvillette again to find the Iudex looking right back at him, his face hard to read. He seems like he is trying to tell Wriothesley something through his gaze. His eyes are shimmering in the moonlight, the purples and blues reflecting the light. Just now Wriothesley notices the pupils of the Iudex. They are…snake like. Little slits slashing the ocean in his eyes. Unintentionally, the Duke takes a step away from Neuvillette. A gloved hand takes his. The soft fabric and the sudden warmth makes him shudder. Neuvillette guides his hand towards his face, making him brush the long, silky hair behind it, revealing a pointed ear. Wriothesley feels his own heart beating in his throat but he cannot say why. Is it fear? Or is it fascination? He lets his fingers brush against the pointed tip of the ear, feeling the soft skin against his rough hands.
“It is lonely”, Neuvillette responds, a coarseness in his voice now. “But there are people who ease the pain for a while, every now and then”. A peaceful smile forms on his face as he squeezes Wriothesleys hand gently. “What the…this can’t…this can’t be real…”; the Duke shakes his head, trying to free himself from the Iudex’s grasp. As his hand leaves Neuvillette’s, he longs for it again, secretly hoping he takes it in his warm fingers again. But he doesn’t. He respects the distance that Wriothesley asked for.
“Neuvillette, what…what are you?”
Wriothesley doesn’t really need an answer to this. He knows. He understands. But he needs him to say it. To confirm it. To make it real.
“I am the hydro dragon sovereign, thusly an immortal being. I owe you this explanation without any complicated, flowery sentences to talk around it”; as he explains, his blue horns start glowing. He is putting all of his fronts down, exposing all of himself to Wriothesley, letting him in. The blue light makes the Dukes piercing eyes shine brighter than ever before.
“May I?”
Neuvillette just nods. Wriothesley slowly combs through the dragon’s hair before he dares to touch the glowing horns. They are colder than he thought they would be, harder too. He glides his fingers along the smooth surface with fascination, getting lost in their shining light.
“You are…enchanting”, he mumbles, barely audible.
“And you are one of a kind. Unlike anyone I have ever met before”, Neuvillette takes Wriothesley’s other hand and places a tender kiss on his scarred fingers. The Duke avoids the Iudex’s gaze, turning his head downwards, a red hue hushing over his face.
“You say that to all your mortal lovers?”, his voice sounds sarcastic. But there is something hidden underneath it. “I guess I do. Since you are my first”. Wriothesley’s head shoots up again, bewilderment in his eyes, his eyebrows curled in shock.
“You thought me everything about humanity that I was missing. Through you, I learned what it means to love someone. I never knew this feeling before you, I was not aware I was capable of feeling like this. But then you came along, with all your beautiful thoughts, with your empathy and your compassion. Every long conversation we had, pulled me towards you. I noticed I was longing for your presence. At first I thought I was sick. I was running hot when you were around, I had troubles forming sentences and my body felt shaky. I turned to Sigewinne for a cure but she just laughed at me. She told me I wasn’t sick, merely in love. You thought me my dearest human emotion. Love”. Neuvillette takes both of Wriothesleys hands now in his, brushing over his knuckles with his own gloved thumbs.
“Wriothesley, I want you to be my eternity. I want to spend the rest of my days with you and give up my immortality, by my own will, once you pass”.
Instead of answering with words, Wriothesley grabs the dragons head and pull him towards him. Their lips crash against each other, rough against soft. Through closed eyes, Wriothesley notices Neuvillette’s horns glowing stronger than before and he cannot help but smile into the kiss. Once cold, he now feels warm. There is no outside right now, just them. Everything falls away around them and it is only them in this world. Just for a few moments it is only them.
“You can’t give up your immortality for a guy like me. You are too…perfect and I am so…troublesome”; Wriothesley pulls away again, reality hitting him finally and his mind clearing up a little. Though it seems beautiful, it cannot be this way. A man like the Duke is not meant for commitments like this. Especially not with someone like the Iudex, albeit his body and his mind longs for nothing but him right now. And ever before.
“Immortality is lonely without you. I do not want to imagine a day where I ever have to live in a world without you again. If you let me, I would like to spend my days with you, Wriothesley”. It is almost as if the Iudex is pleading the Duke. Wriothesley is visually conflicted about this agreement. As he lets Neuvillette’s words pass through the air, the once clear sky starts to darken and the first drops of water fall towards the ground. Neuvillette now faces the sky, raindrops running down his cheeks. He lets out a soft sigh and loosens his grip on Wriothesley’s hands. He understands and he accepts.
“Hydro dragon, hydro dragon, don’t cry”.
The Duke’s voice pulls the Iudex’s attention back towards him. His eyes widen in surprise as Wriothesley places his lips gently on his cheek, taking one of the drops of rain with him.
“Hey now, I never said no to you in general. We just might have to talk about this immortality thing again. But not now, okay?”
Neuvillette nods as the sky starts clearing up again, putting the moons shine on them like a spotlight.
As the night proceeds, the two men talk through the late hours, their words swallowed by the ocean, only there for them to hear and no one else. A small eternity stands in front of them as they head back inside once the first rays of sunshine hit their flushed faces.