Chapter Text
He saw Wriothesly from across the room, and he felt his world explode.
Wriothesley. Standing at the edge of the ballroom, cloaked in the dark. His suit was all blacks and wine reds, in sharp contrast to the bright ballroom and Christmas sparkle around him. He had his arms folded, leaning against the wall by the drinks table. Three empty champagne flutes were beside him, a testament to how long he'd been lurking in the corner.
Wriothesley. Who he hadn't seen in several centuries. A man whose reincarnations rarely survived his teen years, usually falling into some unfortunate situation or another. A man who Neuvilette had given up on finding as a result. He knew that his counterparts - the other immortals from Teyvat - found their loved ones incarnation after incarnation, only having to remain patient for decades at a time. They would reunite and have the chance to fall in love all over again. A new version of them, new quirks but the same soul. Neuvilette had no such luck.
Wriothesley, who he had most certainly been staring at for over five minutes. Wriothesley. Who was now looking back at him like he was insane.
His feet carried him to the edge of the ballroom, everything around him fading to static. He could hardly believe it. He could hardly believe that after all this time --
“Hi.” Wriothesley greeted, with his cocky smile curving up and his crystal eyes crinkling at the corners. “Can I help you?”
Neuvilette kissed him.
He didn't even feel himself move, didn't know what he was doing but he just needed to--
Wriothesley returned the kiss, gentle and chaste.
“And what was that for?” Wriothesley asked, a little bit breathless but grinning from ear to ear. “You're lucky I'm not slapping you, anyone else might have. There's this thing called consent, Chief Justice , you may have heard of it.”
He was entirely correct in his scolding, but his voice carried no bite. And he still hadn't moved away.
“Oh, fuck.” Wriothesley muttered, his smile dropping. “Sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry--”
Ah. Of course he was crying. The physical ability to shed tears had manifested quite suddenly, the day Wriothesley had passed. He heard the sound of rain falling outside, beating against the windows. That rarely happened anymore, with the elemental energies being so much weaker now. He had to be feeling something particularly strongly for a deluge to occur these days.
“No, no, I simply--” Neuvillette cleared his throat, tried to regain some semblance of composure. He was the Chief Justice, and the highest status attendee at this ball. “I…”
“Hey… it's okay…” Wriothesley murmured, glancing around. “Wanna kiss me again? If any of these busybodies ask, we can say I was standing under mistletoe.” He winked. He was smiling, playful, but Neuvilette could see the concern in his gentle gaze.
“You're too kind, your grace.” He whispered, a wobbly smile on his lips.
Wriothesley’s eyebrows shot up, “I'm not sure who you think I am, but that's certainly not my title.” He chuckled, though it seemed the slightest bit uneasy.
Neuvilette’s smile turned wry. “My apologies… it's an old habit, pay it no mind. Your name is…” He hesitated. Wriothesley had been a fake name, he couldn't be sure that he would go by the same name again now. But Childe took the same alias every incarnation, so maybe… “Wriothesley, correct?”
Wriothesley smiled broadly, surprise lighting his eyes. “That's right. Though I'll confess I didn't expect our esteemed Chief Justice to know the name of a simple man like myself.”
Neuvilette laughed, but even to his own ears it sounded strained. Like he could ever forget the man in front of him now. The tears fell down his cheeks again. He couldn't help it, this was so overwhelming.
“...tell you what, how about we dance?” Wriothesley suggested, “We can talk a bit more privately that way. And you can tell me what had you walking over here like a man possessed, yeah?”
Neuvilette nodded. He had no idea how he was going to explain his behaviour, but he wasn’t about to turn down a dance with Wriothesley.
The Duke (or not, in this new future) took his hand, leading him to the centre of the floor. It struck Neuvillette that Wriothesley was right to comment about privacy; several sets of eyes followed their movements with keen interest. Neuvilette sighed.
He had done his best to avoid all forms of the limelight up until now. A selection of the highest-ranking officials in the legal system knew of his immortality, but it was a closely guarded secret. His role, as Chief Justice, had become largely honorary over the last several centuries. If something particularly difficult arose, or his opinion was explicitly sought for some matter or another, then he would comment. He wasn’t really sure how his relevance or position was explained to those who did not know his secret, but he had never run into any trouble. Every few generations, he could even attend events like this - until his apparent lack of ageing became too obvious, anyway. Even if things did go wrong, or those at the top betrayed him… well, the elemental energies may have been weaker in this time, but he was still more than capable of defending himself quite effectively. He didn’t really need the employment either; he had earned enough in his career to live essentially through financial endowment.
With a hand pressed gently to his back, Wriothesley pulled him from his thoughts.
“Oh, is it alright if I lead?” He asked, “I never learned to follow…”
Neuvillette smiled, nodding his head. “Of course.” He took the follow position, as he always did. Even when Wriothesley had learned to follow, he’d somehow been bad at it. Neuvillette had never really thought of the two roles as being substantially different, but Wriothesley had taught him otherwise… he nearly laughed at the memory of it.
One hand came up to Wriothesley’s shoulder, and he realised he’d almost forgotten how to do this, it had been so long. His other hand fit with Wriothesely’s easily, and they began to move around the room. The correct lead position would've had Wriothesley's hand much higher on his back, but either Wriothesly had never really learnt to dance in this age or he simply thought this would be more comforting. Either way, Neuvillette certainly didn't mind the gentle warmth of his hand pressing firmly around his waist.
“Nice suit.” Wriothesley commented, “Classy.”
He had opted for a double-breasted blue tailcoat for this event, and he was currently regretting it. Unfortunately, it was a little bit tight around his shoulders. His taste in clothing was so… vintage, though, that he didn’t really trust many tailors with it. He’d always just put up with the tighter fit, since it was fine when he wasn’t dancing.
“Thank you.” Neuvilette said, “I don’t really… ascribe to modern fashion trends. It all moves so quickly…”
Wriothesley laughed. “You make yourself sound so old.”
“How old are you?” Neuvilette asked.
“How old do you think I am?” Wriothesley grinned, “Go on, guess.”
Neuvilette hummed. The lines of Wriothesley’s face were less strained, his skin brighter, but that could’ve just been because he didn’t live several hundred metres below the sea. He actually saw the sun in this world. Still, he seemed young, at least as young as when they’d first kissed in Teyvat… but how old had Wriothesley been then?
“Thirty… nine?”
Wriothesley’s eyes widened, his smile dropping.
Ah. Not that old, then.
“Thirty--- wha-- people normally guess lower than they really think! How old do you really think I am, then?”
“I don’t-- forty-two or--?”
“What?” Wriothesley spluttered, laughing through his apparent devastation. “I’m-- I’m twenty-eight, man!”
“Oh. My apologies, I seem to have offended you.” Neuvilette thought being only a decade or so off wasn’t too bad, really. “I assure you, I am simply rather bad at judging an adult’s age. The number is entirely meaningless to me.” A decade was the blink of an eye, after all.
“Yeah, I mean, you obviously think I look good since you did just stroll over and plant one on me.” Wriothesley teased, laughing.
Neuvilette cleared his throat, stepping a little bit closer to tuck his head beside Wriothesley’s, hiding the blush growing on his cheeks. “Yes, well…” he murmured, soft. “I realise I did not apologise for my… rather inappropriate and forward behaviour. I’m terribly sorry.”
“Hey, no, I didn’t mean--” Wriothesley sighed, his arm pulling more firmly around Neuvillette in a comforting gesture. “I definitely wouldn’t call it… business professional behaviour. But, well… you’re lucky, because I didn’t mind too much.” He cleared his throat, then continued more softly. “I’m more worried about… well, you.”
Wriothesley stayed quiet, waiting. Neuvilette tried to speak, once, twice, three times. But every time, the tears threatened to spill again. He inhaled, and the scent of herbal tea that clung to this man was so very familiar.
“C’mon… I’m not saying I’m the best kisser in the world, but I’m not normally bad enough to make grown men cry.”
Neuvilette laughed, a watery sound that tumbled from his lips without his permission. The tears broke forth yet again, and he let his head fall forwards. Resting his forehead on Wriothesley’s shoulder, he cried.
Wriothesley guided him gently through the dance, taking small easy steps. The song ended, another started. Still, they danced. Neuvillette couldn’t seem to stop crying. He needed space to sort through why, and what , he was feeling but--
“I don’t want you to be alone.” Wriothesley murmured, as the final song of the night played. “I don’t know what… this is, or what I have to do with it, but… I’ve set you off, haven’t I?”
--but Wriothesley was here, and he did not want Wriothesley to leave.
“You have… but through no fault of your own.” The tears were finally stopping, at least. “It’s… I can’t explain it in a way that you will believe, I’m afraid. You don’t have to take care of me, I will be fine.” He lifted his head from Wriothesley’s shoulder at long last.
“Mmm… maybe. But my kid’s with a friend tonight, so there’s no reason why I shouldn’t stay with you. If you want me to, that is.”
“I…” Neuvilette had also made sure Freminet was staying with a friend, so as not to bother his charge if he came home too late. “I would like that, but, well, I can’t expect that of you--”
“I’m offering.” Wriothesley stated firmly. The song came to a close, and the room erupted in applause. Wriothesley took a small step back, lifting Neuvilette’s hand to his lips. “Thank you for the dance.” He smiled.
“Thank you for the dance.” Wriothesley grinned. The crowd of their friends and family cheered as their first dance drew to a close.
“Thank you for choosing to share your life with me, Your Grace.”
Wriothesley lifted Neuvilette’s hand to his lips, kissing the wedding band that shone there.
“The pleasure’s all mine.”
“Oh-- what did I-- I’m sorry, you’re crying again, I must’ve--” The present-day Wriothesley spluttered, pulling Neuvillette from the distant memory that had overtaken him.
“No, no--” Neuvillette chuckled through the tears, “I’m sorry, this must be so very confusing for you…” How was he supposed to explain the conflicting feelings running through his chest, when he himself hadn’t quite grasped them?
“A little.” Wriothesley smiled, wry. “I’m going to help you through though, okay?”
“...thank you.”
Wriothesley had not expected the gorgeous stranger he’d been watching all night to stroll over and kiss him.
“Who is that one?” He’d asked Clorinde, almost immediately after spotting the guy.
“That? The Chief Justice, I think.” Clorinde said. The ‘ I think’ had been very strange - Clorinde knew everything and everyone. For her to express any kind of doubt? Chief Justice was a pretty archaic title, too…
“He doesn’t come out much, then?” Wriothesley prodded.
Clorinde nodded, “He’s been out a bit more the last few years than he used to be… getting to meet him is a big deal, though. He’s the only one in the country with that title. I get the impression he’s some kind of… honorary leader? I’m not surprised you haven’t heard of him, mind. Only the real top brass ever talk about seeing him, and they usually use it as a way to throw their weight around.”
“I’m a Superintendent.” Wriothesley muttered, perplexed. “How high do you have to be before you get to know he exists?”
“Higher than that.” Clorinde stated, flat.
“How did you hear about him?” She worked in anti-corruption, but she wasn’t exactly top brass .
“I arrested an Assistant Chief Constable who wouldn’t shut up about him.” Clorinde scowled, withering, “It was like he thought mentioning having once had the chance to meet the guy made him untouchable…”
Wriothesley whistled. “If that’s the kind of expectation he creates… he’s a real big shot, huh?”
He watched the Chief Justice glide around the room, greeting people and sipping at a glass of water. His long silver hair trailed behind him like a wave. His face looked too young for either his dress sense or that colour of his hair…
“What’s his name?”
Clorinde paused.
“I… have only ever heard him referred to as the Chief Justice or Iudex .”
“... Iudex? ”
“It’s… latin, I think.”
“Fucking hell…”
Clorinde snorted, amused. She set her glass down, “I’m going home. I’ve had enough of this. Are you coming?”
Wriothesley watched the Chief Justice, and shook his head. “No… I want to… I think I want to talk to him.”
Clorinde watched him for a moment, then sighed. “Be careful. Do you want me to pick up Sigewinne?”
“Please.”
She’d left, and he’d loitered. He waited at the side of the room, avoiding the other people who might want his attention. His only goal was to learn about him , the Iudex . There was something… familiar, about him.
Then the Iudex had strolled over, kissed him, and cried a river.
He didn’t expect to spend the entire remainder of the night dancing with him, his shoulder soaked with the guy’s tears, but he wouldn’t have had it any other way. At first, he’d just been naturally concerned - after all, if a grown man cries for two hours straight, anyone would worry about his mental state. But by the end of the evening, it felt far more… profound.
The Iudex was crying because of him . And he really wanted to find out what that meant.
With the Iudex on his arm, Wriothesley left the ballroom. He didn’t miss the way people held their phones up for pictures, quickly moving them away when he shot a stern look in their direction. The Iudex was in his own world, his surroundings completely lost to him.
Outside, the heavens had opened.
“Oh, jeez… this was not in the forecast…” He muttered. That seemed to snap the Iudex out of it, as he looked up at the sky.
“Ah… sorry.”
Wriothesley laughed. He’d never met a man that apologised on behalf of the weather . He tugged his coat off, lifting it up to shelter their heads.
“C’mon, we can take my car. Did you drive?”
The Iudex shook his head, “Taxi.”
“Ah, well, welcome to the Wriothesley Taxi Service, I guess.” He laughed.
“Where are we going?” The Iudex glanced in his direction. The rain had inevitably made it past the coat, plastering stray strands of his silky hair to his face. Wriotheseley was struck, not for the first time, with how damn pretty the guy was.
“I… don’t know. Where would you like to go?”
The Iudex frowned. “I… have a son. He’s away at a friend’s, but…”
“Being home just in case would be good?” If Sigewinne had been with anyone other than Clorinde, Wriothesley would’ve felt the same.
“If that’s alright…”
“Of course, give me the address.”
He guided the Iudex around to the passenger side seat, opening the door for him. The smile he got in return set his heart aflutter.
Throughout the drive, the Iudex couldn’t keep from watching him. He’d look out of the window for thirty seconds before his gaze would drift back to Wriothesley, bright eyes memorising every line of him. Wriothesley felt himself shifting uncomfortably under the scrutiny. He hadn’t really put all that much attention into his appearance - he couldn’t be bothered with these events, after all. He wished he’d tried a little harder now, though.
They arrived at his home - a great big place on the edge of town, with a winding driveway lined by trees.
Wriothesley whistled. “Nice house.”
“Mm… I didn’t much care for the expanse of my estate before I adopted young Freminet.”
“Your son?” Wriothesley smiled, “I get that… I lived a lot worse before I had Sigewinne to think of.”
“Sigewinne… your daughter, I presume?” Neuvillette’s smile was warm, bright. It felt… disproportionately so. Maybe he just really appreciated having another single dad for company?
Wriothesley nodded. “Her dad was a good friend before he and his wife passed… so, well. Now I’m her dad.”
“Ah… I’m sorry.” The Iudex said, and unlike most men with his kind of power, he sounded sincere.
Wriothesley pulled up in what he decided was a parking space - there was just a whole load of empty space at the end of the drive, which Wriothesley didn’t quite know what to do with. “It was a long time ago.” He said absently, as he squinted out of the window and through the rain, trying to make out if there were any lines he should be parking within.
“The loss of a loved one doesn’t disappear.” The Iudex muttered.
The rain grew more violent.
…how strange.
“It gets easier, though… with the passing of time, everything gets a little bit easier.” Wriothesley had the most insane idea… it was crazy, and it couldn’t possibly be true, but… somewhere in the back of his head he was convinced that the rain… “Freminet, what’s that story…?” He asked, hoping the Iudex’s son was a brighter thing to focus on.
The Iudex looked out at the rain, “Perhaps we should have this conversation inside.”
“Yeah… I’m kinda terrified of walking into that, though.” He muttered, squinting at the downpour. He gave up on assessing his parking, turning off the engine.
The Iudex chuckled. “Come now, it’s only water.”
He slipped out of the car, and Wriothesley followed. The rain was about as horrific as it had seemed. It didn’t help that the Iudex had kept hold of Wriothesley’s coat, leaving the man himself without any shelter. In the short trek to the door, Wriothesley was soaked to the bone.
“I’ll dry your clothes for you,” the Iudex offered, apologetic. He let them in, pushing the heavy doors open.
“Oh, you’re asking me to strip already?” Wriothesley hummed, “How forward!” They stepped into the house, a welcome burst of warmth enveloping them as they crossed the threshold.
“I kissed you before I even said hello, are you really surprised?” The Iudex’s smile was wry as he moved across the room and up the stairs.
Wriothesley laughed. The Iudex seemed in a brighter mood, if he was making jokes. He followed his host upstairs, the plush carpets and solid wood furnishings not lost on him. Everything about this guy screamed old money .
He hesitated at the door to the bedroom, where the Iudex was currently rummaging through his wardrobe.
“I… do not have many casual wear outfits… will this suffice?” He pulled a--
A onesie. A dragon kigurumi, bright blue and covered in pride flags.
Wriothesley nearly choked on the air, a laugh caught in his throat.
“I… I mean, yeah, it’s-- why do you own this?” He couldn’t stop picturing the classy Iudex wearing it, his silky hair framed by blue fluff and bright rainbows.
“It was a gift from my son. I treasure it, so this is quite the privilege I am offering you.”
Wriothesley grinned, crossing the threshold and approaching the other man. He accepted the kigurumi with a bright grin. “Thank you.”
There were few sights quite so familiar and heart-warming as Wriothesley drenched through and grinning. Neuvillette nearly forgot the reality of their situation, with how natural everything felt right now.
(Perhaps if he’d given himself the time to process his emotions before inviting Wriothesley to his home, it would’ve helped, but, well.)
“I’ll let you change.” He said, as Wriothesley’s hands brushed his own to accept the kigurumi. He paused, enjoying their proximity for just a moment more.
“Thanks.” Wriothesley smiled, “I’ll try my best not to get water all over your lovely carpets.”
It wouldn’t matter, given he could immediately use his command of hydro to dry anything (including Wriothesley’s clothes, not that he'd be mentioning that).
“I would appreciate that.” He said anyway, smiling. “And… thank you.”
“What for?”
“Being here.”
Wriothesley smiled. He hesitated for just a moment, before taking a step in to kiss his cheek.
“Of course, Iudex Neuvillette.” He smiled.
Neuvillette paused.
Wriothesley's smile flickered, noticing the other man's confusion-- “What is it?” He asked.
Wriothesley… knew his name?
“Nothing.” He said, beating down the flare of hope in his chest. “I’m just… rather charmed.” It wasn't a complete lie. Wriothesley was very charming. “I had worried you were simply being polite about my kiss, so…”
He couldn't let himself believe Wriothesley remembered.
Wriothesley smiled more broadly, “No, I’m-- you’re-- yeah.” He laughed, scratching the back of his head. “I’m not going to let us do much more though, you’re obviously in a really… funny place. Vulnerable. I’m not… I just wanna make that clear.”
Neuvillette smiled. “Ever the gentleman.”
“That’s me.” He grinned, then sneezed. “I should really get out of these clothes…”
Neuvillette found himself waiting on the large sofa downstairs, his suit traded for a turtleneck and loose trousers. Wriothesley had been shivering, and Neuvillette had offered him the shower. While he waited, he sent Freminet a simple message;
[22:00] Hello. I have returned to the house.
[22:00] I have a guest. If you return and run into Wriothesley, please do not be alarmed.
At 22:01, he received a call.
“Papa? You have a guest?” Freminet asked.
“I do.” Neuvilette wasn’t sure why his son sounded so surprised. “Is that a problem?”
“No, of course not, I just… you don’t usually… sorry.”
Freminet had been a constant in his life. Though he couldn’t find Wriothesley in most incarnation cycles, he had found Freminet fairly early on. A young boy, enamoured with the sea and orphaned; those aspects of his life never changed. Neuvillette had never met another person who loved water quite as much as he did. The first time he had taken Freminet under his wing, it had been a whim, the idea of having a son a flight of fancy. It had worked , though. He had enjoyed Freminet’s company, and the boy had benefited from his presence immensely. He never specifically sought Freminet out, but in almost every cycle since, he had ended up adopting him.
In later incarnations, it had become harder and harder to justify his interest in adopting Freminet organically. He had begun to simply explain, honestly, his story. Freminet always took it remarkably well. This cycle had been no different.
“Wriothesley was my husband,” Neuvilette stated simply, “In Teyvat. It has been several centuries since I have seen him reincarnated.”
There was a short silence, and then Freminet spoke.
“Are you okay?”
“...sorry?”
“You just met your dead husband. Are you okay?”
“I…” Neuvillette could feel the tears prickling at his eyes. “That’s… an astute observation. I have been crying for several hours.”
“Yeah… I was worried about that. You mentioned before that your mood can change the weather… it wasn’t meant to rain today but the street here is flooded…” Freminet sounded so very concerned.
“I… will be alright.” Neuvillette promised. “It has been overwhelming. I am… so happy, to see him again. But…”
“He’s not… the same guy.”
“No… remarkably similar, though. And I know many like me have relished the opportunity to fall in love again.”
“...be careful, papa.”
Neuvilette’s heart felt warm, and his head felt lighter. Freminet was one of the best choices he had ever made. “Thank you, little one.”
“I can stay with Lyney and Lynette for longer, if you would rather…”
“No, no. You should return home whenever you would like to.”
“Okay. Thanks, papa.”
“Goodnight, darling boy.”
“Goodnight.”
Neuvillette settled back against the sofa, absently braiding his hair, staring at the ceiling. He thought of Teyvat, and Wriothesley. He thought about what this meant, and what he wanted. He’d only just made it to the end of his hair, curling the braid up to fasten it against his head, when Wriothesley came trotting downstairs in the dragon kigurumi.
“This is so damn comfy!” He laughed, bouncing over to the sofa and flopping down beside him. “Your son’s a genius.”
Neuvillette smiled, “He is.”
Wriotheseley’s smile was warm as he shuffled a little bit closer. “Tell me about him.”
“I’ll make us some tea.”
They talked about Freminet, and Sigewinne, and all the good things in their lives. Wriothesley seemed to be avoiding anything to do with his odd behaviour earlier, as though he was trying to distract him. Neuvillette was grateful, but there came a point when he could no longer ignore the elephant in the room.
“About this evening…” Neuvillette began.
Wriothesley, who had been about to launch into a description of his favourite tea shops, paused. He sat a little bit straighter, shuffled a little bit closer. “I’m listening…?”
“I… am going to give you a choice.” Neuvillette cleared his throat. “Consider this your… red pill, blue pill decision.”
“Oh red pill, all day long. The Matrix is so good.”
Neuvillette shook his head, fond, “You haven’t heard the options.”
“Red pill or blue pill usually means easy lies or difficult truth, right?” Wriothesley smiled more wryly, reaching for Neuvillette's hand. “I want you to share the difficult truth with me.”
Neuvillette laced their fingers together, squeezing his hand.
Wriothesley wasn’t going to believe this. There was no way. He was going to walk away, believing Neuvillette was completely insane. He might even go to the press, sell the story, who knows?
“Neuvillette…?” Wriothesley asked.
But he couldn’t keep it from him. It felt fundamentally unfair, wrong. Especially now Wriothesley had openly chosen the red pill . So… there was a good chance this would be Neuvillette’s first, and last, evening with this Wriothesley.
He leant across the space between them, pressing their lips together.
Wriothesley kissed him back, slow and gentle.
“Definitely no mistletoe here…” Wriothesley muttered, when they broke for air.
“Are you opposed to this?” Neuvilette whispered, kissing him again.
“Not at all.” Wriothesley breathed. “It doesn’t really feel like the red pill, though…”
“All things in good time.”
Neuvillette kissed him again, moved closer, reaching across to rest his hand on Wriothesley’s hip-- but Wriothesley stopped him. He broke the kiss, resting their foreheads together and gently taking his hands in his own.
“I meant what I said before.” He murmured, almost apologetic. “You’re in a weird headspace, I’m not going to take advantage of you.”
“It wouldn’t be-- you wouldn’t be…” Neuvillette muttered, but he knew it was a losing battle. Wriothesley had only met him this evening. Going too far too fast would imply a far less… personal relationship, if he had interpreted modern human tendencies correctly. Doing so after he had spent the whole evening sobbing would be less than honourable on Wriothesley’s part…
Wriothesley smiled, but shook his head. “Not tonight. Tonight, I’m just here to make sure you’re okay.”
“Mm…” Neuvillette sighed. “And you deserve an explanation for my behaviour…”
“So you've got one then?” Wriothesley laughed. “I kinda got the impression you were just as confused as me.”
Neuvillette shifted to lean back against the sofa, resting his head on Wriothesley’s shoulder. Wriothesley wrapped an arm around him.
“I… have more of an idea than I may have inadvertently suggested. You… are sure? About the red pill?”
Wriothesley squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sure.”
Neuvillette took a deep breath, and then he began.