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Wriothesley was really trying to listen.
“Furthermore, the amount of 45,900 mora does not appear enough to ensure that all mechanical-“
Really trying. Though ‘trying’ was the word here.
-“ parts that are destroyed currently can be repaired. I had Germaine do some calculations-“
Whoever made the Chief Justice's voice sound so nice deserved a reward, usually, but right now Wriothesley could not help but think that it only served as a further distraction. The low cadence of that voice, with its gentle yet firm undertone, slowly lulled him into a daze. He could truly listen to this being talk every day, every minute-
“- and we agreed on focusing on the most dire machinations first before-“
Neuvillette continued rambling on about budgets and calculations. The other was quite cute when he was caught up in his own thoughts, more speaking to himself than to others. The Judge did not even notice that the duke's thoughts had longe since strayed off the matter at hand.
Yet he could see the tenseness in the dragon's shoulders all the way from where he was sitting in front of his own documents on the couch. They had decided to meet up and bask in each other’s presence while finishing some work. Which only served for Neuvillette to be somewhat more productive. Something about ‘I can relax when I know you are safe’ or some other mushy thing the Iudex said to him at some point with a totally neutral face.
Did he drag him to a room to kiss senseless afterwards? Of course he did. He was just human after all.
Recently, a lot of cases came up and despite adapting to a more humane schedule of work Neuvillette still managed to pull the most weight. Sometimes he tended to forget that he had more skilled subordinates that could help him. It rarely happened nowadays. This day was one of the rare ones apparently. The duke looked at his lover -who was still rambling on- with fondness that was hard to put into words.
“Neuvillette.” He decided to call it a day. For the both of them. Looking at the clock, it proved to be already far into the evening. Perfect time for something he had been planning for a while.
He shuffled his papers purposefully. Neuvillette’s finger twitched.
“So I will assign a trusted technician as well as more-“
“Dear Iudex oh mighty Chief of Fontaine. Noble dragon Sovereign of- “
An eye twitch. So, he was listening to him. Just choosing to ignore him huh. He needed to try harder.
“Sweetheart."
That resulted in a visible pause. The Iudex looked up, tired yet stern all the same. The duke felt a delightful shiver run down his spine from that warning look. He did like a little danger after all.
“Beloved Duke of the Fortress of Meropide” Wriothesley could feel his skin crawl. Okay, point taken.
“Pray are you bored already? If I am not mistaken, you had wanted to deal with a very heavy workload after taking a few days off. So, my love, should you not be working at the moment? Or are you done?” Neuvillette shuffled back from where he had been pacing back and forth behind his desk to sit down on his chair instead. With his elbows on the table and his fingers crossed, the posture would appear stern at first. Maybe even cold.
Though Wriothesley knew that dragon very well by now. There was a light twitch in the right hand that Neuvillette often got when he wanted to pull him close. Or that softness in his expression when he stopped looking at documents and just looked at him.
He truly loved him way too much. But right now, Neuvillette was in work mode, and he would slowly ease him out of it.
“I am already done.”
Technically not a lie. He was done. Well, mostly that is. However, his dear Iudex was more important right now. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was already bored of paperwork already. He could finish the rest easily next thing in the morning.
He hated that little pent-up tiredness he could see around the dragon's body.
“Are you now, hm?”, Neuvillette murmured, those eyes piercing through his charade, yet the Iudex did not call him out. He was giving him an opening, Wriothesley grinned.
Maybe this was easier than he thought.
Getting up, he walked to where Neuvillette was seated not too far away in a few, big strides. He stopped behind the dragon, who had to crane his neck upwards in an awkward angle to look up to him.
A questioning look. With a little bit of mistrust. How rude. His own lips ticked upwards. He had no hurry. Confident that he could convince the Iudex with a very simple action.
Wriothesley opted for settling his hands on those tense shoulders, tightening his grip after they found purchase. Neuvillette let out a hum. Partly confused.
Wriothesley’s fingers slowly searched for the tense muscles to knead them. He began working the muscles in the neck and shoulder, as good as he could with the clothes in the way. Standing so close to the Iudex, he could feel his own battery recharge quickly. There truly were benefits to working together after all.
From his position, he could see how Neuvillette closed his eyes in bliss. His finger gently carded through those silky strands, pushing them aside to put some pressure on Neuvillette’s temples. For a while, he settled for soothingly rubbing circles where he knew a slight headache was already making itself known.
“Wriothesley I..”
A feeble start of a rejection, yet the warden knew better. He had already won. “Let me take care of you.” Leaning down, he spoke closely to Neuvillette’s ear, making sure to lower his voice even more. “How about you finish the rest tomorrow, and let me take care of you now?”
A short pause, then a defeated sigh and a nod. Wriothesley gently took Neuvillette’s hand, brushing his lips against its back. The dragon purred in delight, not complaining when Wriothesley pulled him upwards.
They closed the office to walk back in an amiable silence.
Opening the door, he ushered Neuvillette through the apartment into their shared bedroom. The Iudex raised his eyebrow at his urgency, “What are you planning?”
“Just undress, nothing too taxing, I promise?” He did not wait for an answer but went to get the oil from where he put it with his last haul from the shop. When he came back, Neuvillette was already lying on the bed, completely naked.
Wriothesley had to swallow, hard. This was not about him, and not about this kind of intimacy. How could he not admire the beautiful being in front of him though. Reverently, he sat down on the bed next to the drowsy dragon. The massage oil smelled like rosmarine flowers and ocean salt, filling the room with a subtle fragrance when he opened it. It felt cold between his hands until he rubbed them together long enough.
“Just relax.” He smiled when Neuvillette tensed up. His fingers still surprised the Iudex when they ghosted over the others back.
He took his time just brushing his hands over the lean muscles and spine. A gentle caress. A soothing motion to lull the tired dragon into slumber. Sometimes his fingers would catch on a few scales. They caught the little light from a lamp in the room, shimmering in the fascinating colours of the ocean. Wriothesley could not help but occasionally bend down to place a kiss on them.
After a while of just indulging in a simple worship, he decided it was time to put his hands to some actual good use. His fingers dug in just under the neck, with a strong force. Rubbing in a circle. Easing up. Rinse and repeat. Until he felt that tension melt away under his fingertips.
A quiet sigh as a reward. Some murmured encouragement. And praise.
Gently, but with intent he moved along the muscles of that powerful back. Stopping at every tension he could feel. Forcing it to relax under his palms. He knew Neuvillette was stronger than a normal human being. Still, he tried to not cause any discomfort by putting on too much pressure.
Wriothesley could visibly feel Neuvillette’s pleasure from where he was seated on top of him. A quiet purr reverberated through the room. From where he could see the side of Neuvillette’s face pressed into the pillow, a blissful expression crossed the dragon’s face.
Good.
Being done with the back, he stood up to sit on the edge of the bed in order to reach Neuvillette’s legs. Lavishing the strong thighs with attention. There was no hurry in his touch. For Neuvillette, he would find himself with an endless patience that he would not normally associate with himself. With steady, even strokes, he made sure that both the legs and feet were relaxed before moving on to the arm muscles.
Wriothesley did not know when he reached those beautiful hands.
His fingers danced along Neuvillette’s palm, and when he was done, he pressed a light kiss onto every finger. There was no reaction except the steady rise and fall of the chest under him.
The Iudex was already asleep. Wriothesley gently turned him around to finish his massage. It did not matter whether the other was conscious or not, it would make him feel better in the morning. Mindfully avoiding the places that would exact any other feeling than relaxedness, he only finished when he was sure that he covered everything.
He swiped his hands on a towel, watching the other sleep for a while.
Neuvillette’s face was peaceful. His whole form having melted into the mattress. An enticing sight. Suddenly, his own sleepiness overcame him. Discarding his own clothes, the duke did not wait long to join his lover after turning off the light. Following the light blue glow in the darkness, he easily found their bed.
The moment he settled down, a warm body wormed its way into his arms. Pressing a soft kiss onto Neuvilllette's forehead, he closed his eyes and listened to the steady breathing of the being resting in his arms.
“Sweet dreams, Neuvillette.”