Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When living in a place as remote and isolated as the Fortress of Meropide, it was more or less a given that seeing one’s acquaintances came as a privilege –unless, of course, they also happened to be the prison’s residents. For better or worse, that wasn’t the case for the facility’s famed administrator; that is to say, as lenient as the Duke was towards some of his longtime subjects, it would be wildly inappropriate for him to maintain close relationships with them. Naturally, he greatly enjoyed the company of the Melusine officers as well as the Fortress’ employees, and then there was Sigewinne whom he was lucky to have – the head nurse was as close to feeling like family as he could bear to consider. In the end though, the majority of people who had managed to earn Wriothesley’s trust were outsiders, and that fact in itself served as a definite proof of his regained freedom.

As such, it wasn’t exactly unusual that Wriothesley wouldn’t hear from his friends for days, or even weeks at a time. An adult’s life was busy and underwater communication methods far from stellar. He never took an issue with the fact; despite what the public might’ve thought of him, he was rather introverted at heart and didn’t think himself to be plagued with loneliness. Besides, his hard-earned trust was also synonymous with a belief in his allies’ good will, even when they were out of his – or his contacts’ – watchful sight.

It was therefore hard to explain why he was being tormented by an odd, growing sense of anxiety over the past few days. He felt like there’s been something small, but nevertheless persistent weighing on his chest.

It’s just been very... quiet as of late. Like the calm before a storm, or perhaps the silence in the forest right before the predator would strike its prey. There were no letters, no messengers to be found, almost as if the Fortress had been submerged in a bubble made of Primordial Water all over again.

With that being said, he did receive a package of experimental homemade sweets that Clorinde, Navia, and Furina had attempted together. The Melusines from the Maréchaussée Phantom also came in and out to conduct their investigations as usual, and the flow of new inmates has not been disrupted.

So, perhaps it wasn’t a complete wasteland out there. Perhaps Wriothesley was exaggerating a little bit. Alas, he did not want to admit that the true reason behind his restlessness was the lack of relevant news from any of the aforementioned – news that were relevant to his personal interests, to be precise.

What did those interests consist of, exactly? Well... he wasn’t very willing to put a name to it. It sufficed to say, however, that when a certain Monsieur Neuvillette failed to show up to a previously scheduled meeting during which they were supposed to make plans for Sigewinne’s upcoming birthday, and did not send any notes regarding his absence, it ended up being the straw to break the Sumpter Beast’s back.

Frankly, the Duke couldn’t remember the last time he climbed the stairs leading out of the tunnel which connected Meropide to the Opera Épiclèse only to be welcomed by an empty horizon and distant seagulls’ calls.

He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so unnerved about silence, either. Usually, peace was a good thing.

It was hard not to compare himself to an unwanted rat crawling its way up the pipes to poke its nasty head out of the kitchen drain after receiving this kind of welcome. Maybe he was just too spoiled, he thought to himself bitterly before heading towards the opera building.

He wasn’t worried about Neuvillette himself, so to speak. No, of course he knew that the Hydro dragon could feign for himself – either way, if something were to happen to him, he’d long have heard about it. He might’ve been a fool for it, but his trust in the man was so great that he was confident he would’ve been one of the first people to be informed of any serious matters.

The much more likely scenario was that if a serious matter did pop up, then it was a seriously bothersome one, preventing his friend from attending their meeting and giving a notice about it. Since Wriothesley hasn’t picked up on any news, he had to assume it was just another annoying case the Iudex had to work overtime on, because people simply couldn’t stop getting themselves into trouble.

The prison administrator in him would know something about that.

...

How odd, Wriothesley thought after a moment, how strange it was to call Neuvillette his ‘friend’, even within the privacy of his own mind. By most available definitions, the two of them were quite obviously friends, if not best friends. At least on the former’s side, Neuvillette was one of the most important people to him, though in hindsight, neither of them used that word very often. He wondered briefly why that was, only to realize that when it came to him, the term was simply no longer sufficient. It felt nothing short of disrespectful to use it whilst referring to his former cell buddies and the Chief Justice alike.

“Has it really gotten this bad already...?” He muttered to himself in a rather cryptic manner before giving his head a couple of playful knocks. “My, my... hah!”

Truth be told, there were several other reasons as to why he wasn’t the most comfortable with calling Neuvillette his friend anymore, but it was extremely unlikely that any of those sentiments were shared. He would be more willing to assume the other abstained from using the word due to his self-imposed resolve to distance himself from the society, or simply due to not deeming Wriothesley worthy of being a Sovereign’s cohort.

Or... maybe he was overthinking the matter tremendously. That was usually Neuvillette’s job – truly, his prolonged absence must’ve seriously rubbed off on Wriothesley’s psyche! Soon, he would start arguing with himself!

Arriving at the opera, he was expecting to wait outside, as he knew it was around the regular time Neuvillette would finish a trial on that day. If that didn’t work, he would try his luck at the Palais Mermonia next. Quickly enough, it turned out neither option would be necessary.

Despite his prior optimism, he still felt a great deal of relief upon seeing a familiar head of silver hair by the Fountain of Lucine. It really was a sight for his sore eyes after such a long and uncertain silence. Admittedly, his heart began to beat a little faster and similarly, so did his step hasten as he began to approach.

Unfortunately, his enthusiasm was rapidly thwarted – experiencing an emotional whiplash, he noticed that Neuvillette was not alone, and froze on the spot, not wanting to interrupt what he assumed was a conversation with one of his co-workers or defendants. Not a big deal, he thought, although it did put him in a rather awkward spot; not wanting to stand around like a broken Gardemek while he waited, he shoved his hands into his pockets and retreated onto the stairs.

Luckily, nothing suggested the Iudex was even slightly unwell. It was quite the opposite, in fact: as he spoke, his body language was lively, often swapping the hand which held onto his signature cane. Even from a distance, it was hard to miss the pleased smile on his face and the enthused spark in his eyes, both of which were features Wriothesley was moderately used to seeing, though never while the judge was concerned with strictly work related affairs. Even someone as diligent and dedicated as Neuvillette would’ve had trouble staying this excited about his job after nearly half a millennium.

Thus, it had to have been a conversation of a private nature, Wriothesley deduced the longer he observed the two, and that in itself was rather curious. Neuvillette did not have many close friends, and most of them he also shared with him. The man he was talking to this time, however, did not ring a bell in Wriothesley’s well-connected mind, nor did he seem like a run of the mill employee upon a closer look.

It was a strange individual; although his elegant attire was not entirely standing out amongst others on the square, it was undeniably foreign – Inazuman was Wriothesley’s initial guess after recalling the styles recently popularized by the Chioriya Boutique. That pristine white suit and wide sleeves did not appear practical whatsoever – he couldn’t even begin to imagine doing his job in such an outfit, for one – but it undoubtedly left an impression whilst worn by the tall, handsome young man it was adorning. All those whites and blues combined with golden ornaments wouldn’t have looked too out of place in the Palais Mermonia, which might’ve explained why Neuvillette gazed upon them so fondly. The suit wasn’t too far off from the style that he would probably go for himself... he must’ve really enjoyed the look of it.

His conversation partner would fit in as a palace decoration just as well, Wriothesley noted, now with a tinge of bitter irony clouding his thinking. The dreamy-looking man must’ve been around the same age as him – then again, maybe younger, considering that there wasn’t a speck of gray in his periwinkle hair, so much unlike the Duke’s. Ah, but with the way this lad carried himself, all prim and proper, he was all the more worthy of a title of a duke or a prince.

Probably more deserving of such a title, too.

Neuvillette and his guest stood noticeably close to one another, smiling and laughing, with none the usual diplomatic stiffness men of their kind were known for. It couldn’t have been a stranger, yet Wriothesley couldn’t recall a time when the Iudex would mention having any particularly close friends in Inazuma.

Hmm, come to think about it, he might’ve let out a peep or two about having made some ‘diplomatic allies’ during the previous year’s Fontinalia Festival that Wriothesley couldn’t attend in person... but still, there was a world of difference between Neuvillette’s regular ‘allies’ and whatever this man appeared to be.

Just who was he, really?

Wriothesley’s thoughts were becoming increasingly more tangled up, and at a rapid pace. Meanwhile, the two gentlemen’s conversation was showing no signs of stopping, and once he saw them turn, presumably about to change locations, something finally compelled him to break his silence and approach them again.

“Ne— Monsieur Neuvillette.” He called out to him, remembering to use the official form of address since they weren’t alone, regardless of how much he wished that was the case. “Phew! What a fortunate chance encounter. I must say I’m... relieved to see you safe and sound. I’ve already started to consider sending the Gardes to search for you.” He said as he strutted over, as nonchalant as one could be.

Upon hearing Wriothesley’s voice, Neuvillette blinked quickly, suddenly looking as if he’d seen a ghost. On the other hand, his foreign friend’s stoic smile widened. He seemed to be entertained by the unexpected arrival.

“W... Wriothesley...?” He mumbled, utterly bewildered from the looks of it, but then rushed to pick himself back up, “Fortunate indeed, but... unforeseen, without a doubt. Whatever might you be looking for in the city at this time of the day?”

“What does Your Honor think? I took the day off.” He replied with a sweet smile, concealing his surprise at the fact Neuvillette really did seem to have forgotten about their missed meeting from the other day. “I know we’ve technically still got more than a month left, but... now seems like the right time to start looking for a birthday gift for Sigewinne. Things can get busy overnight, don’t they? And I just happened to have freed up my schedule a little.” He finished with a playful wink, though in reality, he was finding that jokes didn’t want to come to him as easily as usual that day.

The way Neuvillette was staring at him, he may as well have been speaking another language. Then, suddenly, his lilac eyes widened and face turned pale – so pale in fact, it was starting to blend in with the color of his hair by the time he spoke:

“Sigewinne’s... birthday...? Why does that—Ah!” He twitched and turned so quickly even his idle companion seemed to have gotten a bit startled. “I believe I’ve just remembered... Yesterday, you and I were supposed to have a meeting concerning the matter, weren’t we? Has it already been... M-My deepest apologies, Wriothesley.” The Iudex bowed his head lowly before rubbing his temples, as if the unfortunate realization had brought him physical pain. It has been quite a while since Wriothesley last saw him so panicked, the beacon of impartiality that he was. In fact, despite being a worrier and overthinker, Neuvillette and ‘panicked’ hardly fit together in a sentence – and yet, the tremble in his voice was unmistakable.

“Did you seriously forget about it?” Putting his own wounded ego to the side for a moment, Wriothesley tilted his head in genuine curiosity. Although he was far from knowing everything about the centuries old dragon before him, the idea that something could simply... slip away from his mind has somehow never occurred to him. Neuvillette was just that reliable in the many years that he’s known him.

Really, he was... the most reliable person he’s ever known. The only person to whom he was willing to fully bestow his trust, or rather the beaten and scarred entity that was left in trust’s place. However, even Neuvillette wasn’t flawless. If anything, this situation served as a sobering reminder.

“I... I did.” In all frankness, Neuvillette himself sounded no less surprised. “I do hope you’ll find it within yourself to forgive me. To be honest, I’m not sure how this could’ve happened. I had completely forgotten, it seems. Or, perhaps I’ve mixed up the dates. You see, the notice of Mr. Kamisato’s arrival was delivered late – with no fault of his own, of course, there appears to have been an issue with the courier.” He explained, pointing at the other man, which Wriothesley was left to assume was Mr. Kamisato himself. “As a result, I was left with little time to make appropriate changes to my schedule so that I could accommodate him this week.”

“For which I still feel rather bad for, I must say.” The man quickly added.

“I insist that you don’t. I’m glad to be able to host you – it is a welcome change to the routine, not that I’m complaining about my regular duties, of course.” Neuvillette replied, reassuring the other with a small smile.

Wriothesley crossed his arms, as his hands have suddenly begun feeling restless, too.

“Entertaining guests, eh? Hah, seems like the duties of the Chief Justice never end... and even when they do, you’ll always find something new to add to the list.” As he said it, he felt a strange dash of melancholy; some things never changed, regardless of how bizarre the circumstances around them were. At the same time, the name ‘Kamisato’ continued to bounce around at the back of his head – he could’ve sworn he’s heard that particular combination of syllables before, but when and where remained a mystery. At the very least, he found comfort in the fact that if Neuvillette had said anything noteworthy about anyone bearing that name, he would’ve certainly remembered it. “Alright, I suppose I’ve no choice but to forgive you this damning transgression, Your Honor. Speaking of guests though, I don’t believe Mr. Kamisato and I have ever met before...?”

“Right. An introduction is in order.” Neuvillette nodded, shaking off the last bits of his shock while at it. “Wriothesley, this is my dear friend Kamisato Ayato, the head of the Yashiro Commission in Inazuma. We’ve met during last year’s Fontinalia Festival and have kept in touch via letters ever since. Mr. Kamisato, this is... Wriothesley, the Duke and administrator of the Fortress of Meropide.”

The brief moment of troubled hesitation and the omission of ‘friend’ when it was the time to introduce him unfortunately did not escape the Duke’s attention. He wasn’t going to jump to any conclusions – he wasn’t the type to get especially petty over something like wording, but admittedly, his throat clenched up a bit. Since Wriothesley avoided high society events like wildfire, it wasn’t often that Neuvillette got to introduce him to strangers. Maybe, for whatever reason, he too found that particular word awkward to use.

“Ah! Naturally, I should’ve known. So, you are the famous Duke that I’ve been hearing so much about. It is my greatest honor to meet Your Grace.” Ayato proceeded to bow, too – not just his head, but the entire top half of his body, which left Wriothesley too stunned to reciprocate in time. “Please, feel free to call me by my first name if you so desire. The same goes for you, Monsieur Neuvillette. I’ve already told you there is no need for this level of formality whilst not discussing work. Let us speak more casually.”

“R-Right.” Neuvillette said reluctantly, as it was widely known that he struggled with any behaviors that even vaguely verged on the concept of ‘casual’.

Meanwhile, Wriothesley’s attention has been piqued by something else entirely, unrelated to the fancy names and titles the three of them awkwardly danced around:

“Is that so? You’ve heard of me before, Mr. Ayato? That’s very curious, I must say, because I haven’t heard a single word about you.” With the corner of his eye, he peeked at Neuvillette.

“Oh...?” Ayato raised his brows, also shifting his gaze onto the startled judge.

They may have been standing out in the open, but Neuvillette was cornered.

“Ahem, I’m... I’m quite sure I must’ve mentioned...”

And as Wriothesley continued to stare into those pretty, miserable eyes of his, he began to realize that it was true. Shit. He did, in fact, mention the Yashiro Commissioner in the past. The name of the faction itself was dropped in their conversations multiple times in the past, as was the last name ‘Kamisato’ that sounded so familiar, though in his defense, it never went much further beyond that. If he recalled correctly, the two of them have indeed been exchanging letters and making plans to have their respective nations collaborate in the future.

It wasn’t a sudden outbreak of selective amnesia that had afflicted Neuvillette and Wriothesley alike – the latter was willing to admit, albeit only to himself, that the reason why he had previously dismissed the tales of the former’s Inazuman friend was that this whole time, he’s been imagining this renowned commissioner as a cranky old man. Frankly, if one were to take a closer look at Neuvillette’s circle of acquaintances, an elder would’ve been a more fitting option than this smug, handsome youth standing next to them.

Ah, that was his first mistake, Wriothesley thought to himself; and an amateurish one at that. The most basic thing a boxer should know was not to underestimate his opponent, regardless of their weight class.

Ally, that is. Mr. Kamisato over here was an ally.

A friend of Neuvillette’s was usually his friend, too. It worked both ways, or so he believed; otherwise, neither of the introverted souls would have made more than a couple of those. Besides, didn’t Wriothesley always say that he wished to meet more people from other nations?

What an utterly strange... gut feeling he’s had just then. A fight or flight response – only that he’s seemingly defaulted to ‘fight’ this time.

“It’s quite alright.” All of the sudden, Ayato swooped in to save the day, that is to break the cycle of Neuvillette’s nervous mumbling and whatever unpleasant faces Wriothesley must’ve been subconsciously pulling. “I wouldn’t have expected anyone to make a fuss about me in a foreign nation. In fact, I tend to prefer a certain degree of anonymity. Excessive flaunting is a surefire way for one’s face to end up as another’s target. Similarly, a presence too dazzling makes it rather difficult to move in the shadows.” After saying that, the man looked towards Wriothesley, surprisingly enough. His expression was expectant, as if he was waiting for the other to agree with him. Alas, he was yet again too distracted to grace him with a quick reaction.

“I truly am sorry about this misunderstanding, to both of you. I had already promised Mr. Kamisato... that is, Mr. Ayato, to spend this day with him, since he’s only in Fontaine for a single week.” Neuvillette’s eyes trailed downwards, but his guest rushed to comfort him with a pat on his arm.

“Don’t concern yourself with this, Monsieur Neuvillette. Should the need for you to leave arise for whatever reason, I can continue sightseeing on my own without issue. I’ve actually gotten quite used to the Court of Fontaine’s geography over the past few days.”

It seemed that a jovial mood never left this guy, although Wriothesley couldn’t help but sense something deeply insincere about his gentle smile.

Could he have been... plotting something? Admittedly, his hunch regarding those sorts of things was rarely incorrect, and so far this guy has been consistently giving him the creeps.

Just as his eyes were about to burn a hole through the spot on Neuvillette’s arm that Ayato’s gloved hand was glued to, he was unexpectedly addressed again:

“Your Grace, I must admit... I’ve wanted to meet you ever since my first visit to Fontaine, during the festival, but I was told that the Duke is known to be a very... elusive figure. That makes it all the more exciting to finally see you in person. I’m sure there are many things the two of us could find worthwhile to discuss... at a later time, of course.”

Reluctantly, Wriothesley’s eyes shifted back towards his face. “Am I living up to your expectations?”

“Hmm... not exactly.” Ayato said, but didn’t elaborate whatsoever.

And to that, Wriothesley’s eyes subsequently narrowed.

“Well, at least I get it now. So, Neuvillette, you’ve been busy showing our esteemed guest around, is that right?” He asked, happy to call the Iudex by his first name only again; if Ayato wanted to speak casually, he shall show nothing but utmost affinity for the one he had a ‘close relationship’ with. “Only the best parts of the capital, I hope. I wouldn’t say places like Fleuve Cendre make for the nicest first-time tourist destination.”

As amusing as it was to imagine those snow white sleeves of his getting dipped in the oily sewage, he thought. An Inazuman commissioner was no small deal. Hell, judging by the way he spoke he probably broke out in hives at the very sight of the poor. In that case, maybe he should invite him over to the Fortress? Surely a bright gentleman such as Ayato would have no problems mingling with the inmates.

“I’ve indeed been doing my best to show him the most interesting sights Fontaine has to offer... limiting myself to the ones above the water’s surface, that is.” Neuvillette’s gentle voice successfully snapped Wriothesley out of his devilish fantasies. “Although I wouldn’t call myself the most qualified guide, either way.”

“I’ve no complaints to make thus far.” Ayato reassured him. “I can hardly imagine anyone knowing the ins and outs of Fontaine better than the Iudex who has been serving it for, reportedly, hundreds of years.”

Neuvillette’s hands fiddled around his cane; his eyes wandered around the square, visibly uncomfortable by his very much non-human age being brought up, before finally, he cleared his throat and proceeded:

“There’s certainly a difference between living somewhere and knowing it well. Actually, I would argue that Wriothesley here is far better versed in this kind of knowledge than I am. Should you have any questions about Fontaine, Mr. Ayato, may it be about the winding alleyways of the inner city or the ancient ruins, I’m sure Wriothesley will come to your aid.”

Wriothesley was caught slightly off guard by this recommendation, unsure whether he was willing to take on the role of Ayato’s guide – and very much caught off guard by the look Neuvillette graced him with as he said it, which was nothing short of adoring.

Well, sheesh.

“Eh, it’s been a while since I’ve stayed at the Court for more than a night, and this city’s constantly changing, almost like a living organism. Pretty much all the high street shops I remember from my childhood have gone out of business. Rent’s gone up.” He joked, but was promptly thrown off by the bizarre, puzzled stare Ayato gave him. Did he say something odd just then...? Then again, he’s always heard that Inazumans had no sense of sarcasm. Feeling somewhat ticked off, he decided to change the subject. “So, um, how long have you been here, Mr. Ayato? Are you looking for any attractions in particular?”

The commissioner didn’t reply right away. Slowly, he put his finger to his mouth, pondering over something, and finally moved from their picturesque spot by the fountain, walking towards the aquabus station. The two locals obediently followed him, making themselves look like unusually well-dressed bodyguards.

“I’ve been here since the beginning of the week, and I’m planning to stay until the end of it, so that gives us two more days to enjoy the sights. It does not nearly feel like enough but unfortunately I had to account for travel time whilst planning my vacation. Thankfully, since the Raiden Shogun has been more involved with Inazuma’s affairs as of late, many things have been... removed from my plate, so to speak. Ultimately, it was a rather spontaneous decision, which is why my sister was unable to accompany me.” He stopped and turned towards Wriothesley, so abruptly the latter nearly bumped into him. “I’ve already visited some of the most famous shops and restaurants, The Steambird’s headquarters, the art gallery, took a ferry to Petrichor, oh, and I’ve paid a visit to the friends my family had made last time. Of course, I’ve also been given a chance to watch one of Monsieur Neuvillette’s trials.”

“Phew. Sounds like a busy schedule.” Wriothesley said with a rather deadpan delivery. He really couldn’t stand the saccharine way in which the guest pronounced Neuvillette’s name. It reeked of someone who was trying to suck up; he knew the type first-hand from the Fortress.

“Hah, indeed. That is also part of the reason why today, I wish to take it easy and simply spend some time with my host to express my gratitude.”

“There’s no need to account for me in your vacation itinerary, Mr. Ayato. I’ve already accompanied you on several occasions.” Said Neuvillette, polite as always.

“Ah, but that is exactly why both of us deserve to get some rest today. Naturally, I would be honored if the Duke agreed to join us too. The more the merrier, as they say. As for activities, let’s see... I’m still yet to catch a proper show at the opera. But first, there is a certain boutique nearby that I’d like for us to visit.”

‘Accompanied him’... as the implication of that statement started to sink in, Wriothesley became desperate to seek a distraction:

“Are you talking about the Chioriya Boutique, by any chance?”

“Precisely! I see that its fame is truly unsurpassed. I suppose that makes me proud as a fellow Inazuman.” Ayato’s cunning eyes lit up with childlike enthusiasm; all things considered, he appeared to be having great fun, which Wriothesley couldn’t exactly relate to, although for the love of him he couldn’t explain why. “I’ve met with Miss Chiori very briefly earlier this week, but I haven’t had the time to enter her shop, though I promised her that I would. I think it’s just the right place to find some appropriate thank-you gifts, as well as souvenirs for my household – and myself – while at it. Killing multiple birds with one stone, if you will.”

“There’s really no need for any gifts, at least when it comes to my person.” Neuvillette insisted. “However, a visit to Miss Chiori’s shop does sound like an afternoon well spent to me. Wriothesley, shall you come with us?” He asked, looking at him over his shoulder.

“I... wouldn’t want to impose on you two.” Wriothesley mumbled grimly. Honestly, he couldn’t tell whether he’d rather leave these aristocratic lovebirds to coo at each other undisturbed, or come along as a chaperone, if only to figure out what this strange foreigner’s deal truly was. What he did know was that he needed some time, be it now or later, to deal with this nasty, sweltering feeling that’s been gradually taking over him throughout the conversation. With each passing minute it seemed to be growing more and more, like a hungry monster lurking inside his gut, filling his body with an unknown poison.

He didn’t like that feeling. Not one bit. Although it felt brand new, Wriothesley was fairly certain it didn’t suit anything that he usually stood for.

Old man that he was, he thought he’d seen it all already, but alas, he could not put a name to this emotion. Maybe he didn’t want to.

“Impose? Oh, what a nonsense!” Ayato protested, yet even this act of kindness felt contrived. “Did I not just say I wish to get to know Your Grace better? It would be my pleasure. Let this outing be a...” He paused abruptly, interrupting himself with a soft chuckle, “...the leisurely version of a boys’ night out, how does that sound?”

“I, err... I don’t know...” He said honestly, whilst internally wincing at his phrasing. It made him uncomfortable. He couldn’t exactly explain it, but he’d sooner see himself having a ‘boys’ night out’ with Clorinde rather than Neuvillette and this buffoon. She probably had a better alcohol tolerance than the three of them combined.

“I agree. Wriothesley... please, it would be a delight to have you with us. A special day like this would simply not be complete without your company. I’m also fairly certain a brilliant mind like yours will have much to offer to Mr. Ayato’s insatiable curiosity.” The Iudex suddenly joined the plea and, judging by the unusual amounts of flattery, he was still ridden with guilt for standing him up. “B-Besides, weren’t you heading downtown, anyway?”

There was some deeply hidden, ugly part of him that really wanted to say ‘no’, if only to make Neuvillette regret his choices. Thankfully, it disappeared almost as soon as their eyes met again.

He couldn’t be mean to him if he tried. Nor could he ever say ‘no’ to a ‘please’ said so sweetly.

...

Though still not entirely convinced – of anything, by that point – Wriothesley sighed and spread his arms:

 “Alright, alright... I suppose I invited myself in anyway. It’s been a while since I’ve had one of those nights... that is days, out.” That part was true, and had it been anyone but that suspicious man, he’d likely find himself kind of excited about the idea. His prior criticisms aside, with their friend circle consisting mostly of the fairer sex, he couldn’t actually recall the last time he or Neuvillette did anything like it with anyone.

Their one-on-one meetings didn’t count, he decided.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had anyone call me a ‘boy’...” Neuvillette muttered under his breath, sounding deeply concerned, which for once made Wriothesley let out a genuine laugh.

Unfortunately, and due to his own mind’s doing, his happiness did not last. As the three of them mounted the aquabus, Ayato went on to ask an entire myriad of questions to Elphane, who only seemed willing to answer any of them due to Neuvillette’s presence onboard. Using this moment of their guest’s distraction, Wriothesley leaned in closer to the Iudex:

“So, have you really gone on a whole tour de Fontaine with this... commissioner? Doesn’t sound like your style.” He asked with a small smile still on his lips, though not for much longer.

“I have. It was a nice change of pace.” Neuvillette mused, looking out into the sea they were passing over. “For instance, countless years have passed since I’ve last visited Petrichor. It’s become a beautiful, quaint town. Much to my regret however, we only managed to catch a brief glimpse of the Remurian ruins before it was time to head back.”

And there it was – the thing that has been subconsciously weighing on Wriothesley from the moment he first heard the news.

“Y... You visited the Remurian ruins with him...?”

“Only the ones on the land.” Neuvillette clarified, evidently surprised by his sullen expression before the truth occurred to him: “Ah, that is right. You’ve always wanted to go there too, right? Well, I can wholeheartedly recommend the island—“

“Yeah, I heard it’s great this time of the year.” He mumbled with the same flat tone as before. “Hey, didn’t you umm... didn’t you say we could go together sometime...?”

It’s not like he’s been hanging onto that thought for months or anything.

“I suppose so...” Neuvillette hesitated before continuing, and his brows came together in a frown the meaning of which Wriothesley couldn’t decipher. “It’s just that you’ve... never said anything, and I didn’t want to impose in case you had other obligations...”

Well, he wasn’t wrong on that, was he? He never did officially propose it, nor did he propose... anything else for that matter. The Duke had only himself to blame.

In his defense however, between the two of them, he was rarely the one with schedule packed from morning to night, with no breaks for eating and sleeping. Neuvillette certainly wasn’t the one who should’ve worried about taking up his time!

Although the Hydro dragon was not the most inquisitive when it came to human emotions – which was part of the reason why Wriothesley found himself so comfortable around him, really – even he could hardly put a blind eye to the other’s discernible heartbreak, which led him to desperately trying to undo the damage:

“We could go together another time! Actually, Wriothesley, when it comes to Remuria, there is someone I would love to introduce you to.”

“Oh, another friend of yours you’ve been keeping under wraps?”

It wasn’t meant to sound so... hostile. Truly, it wasn’t. Never to Neuvillette.

But it did, anyway. The passive-aggressive result oozed with the very same poison that’s been festering within him this whole time.

In the end, Neuvillette didn’t reply and stared at his feet until a moment later, Ayato returned to sit next to him and dragged him into a heated discussion about the Fontainian railway system.

Wriothesley, on the other hand, was strongly considering leaping out of the vehicle and plunging into the sea down below. He felt as if he’s just stepped on an innocent, unassuming puppy’s – or dragon’s, rather – tail.

He was also starting to get mad. Mad at himself, mostly, for assuming the worst intentions from a seemingly harmless guy, for snapping like a moody adolescent, and most of all...

...For skipping that goddamned festival, which the other two began to loudly and giddily reminisce upon as they neared the station!

Events like that weren’t his thing. How was he supposed to know it’d end up being such a massive deal?! He only learned about everything that transpired over the course of it from Chevreuse and the Traveler after the fact. Not in a million years would he assume it’d be the place for the Chief Justice to find himself a dreamy new pen pal.

Good for him, really. Good for him. He was happy that Neuvillette was allowing himself to get closer to more humans. It was what he had always wanted, even if he tried to conceal it under his façade of impartiality. To be loved by humans, especially by all his dear friends – it was the kind of fate he deserved after everything he’d done for the nation.

And it could not be in any way denied that the head of the Yashiori Commission was also precisely the kind of friend the Iudex deserved. He was perfectly suited for someone of Neuvillette’s wisdom and status. From the first impression Wriothesley got of him, he appeared gentle and charitable, but also very clearly shrewd and strategic, carefully planning every word and gesture. Cunning rat or not, no one could call Ayato stupid. His radiant presence made his allies feel safe and secure, yet kept potential foes on edge. If he ever found himself also seeking dukedom in Fontaine, Neuvillette wouldn’t have to as much as lift a finger to convince the nobility to grant him a title, unlike the last impostor who showed up to the Palais fresh from the fight, with a blooming blackeye.

Wriothesley winced at the memory. Dragging his feet at the rear of their little procession as they headed to Chiori’s shop, he was getting rapidly left behind in both literal and figurative sense.

From the fragments of conversation he was able to pick up on as he seethed in silence, the two talked about the intricacies of laws in different nations of Teyvat, about the art they’d seen at the gallery the day before, as well as Fontaine’s wondrous cuisine. The longer he listened, the stronger was his bitter sense of realization that despite having spent years eagerly consuming every work of literature that had fallen into his hands, every popular magazine and film he’s always been denied, every exotic dish and expensive tea that he had never dreamed of tasting – all of it in order to catch up with the contemporary culture of Fontaine to a level that wouldn’t put his hard-earned title to shame – he still couldn’t match someone who’s been surrounded by riches and wonders, entrenched in this lavish lifestyle since birth. He was a decent actor, Wriothesley was, but at heart, his jaded and brutish nature was nothing like these two fairytale princes walking side by side ahead of him.

He wasn’t necessarily feeling inferior to the Inazuman, he knew his worth and he knew he was doing all in his might to be a good man. Rather, seeing Neuvillette accompanied by someone who suited him so well he may as well have been sent there by the village matchmaker was making him painfully aware just how different he was from him.

Perhaps Neuvillette became aware of it too, over the course of the week; here he was, worrying whether some sort of an emergency had taken place, but maybe he simply chose not to see Wriothesley for the sake of having the rare pleasure of seeing Ayato instead.

That didn’t sound like him at all, and yet, the thought was born in Wriothesley’s head just then.

He was in for another unpleasant realization, namely that this strange creature writhing inside of him was none other than... jealousy.

To his very dubious credit, he wouldn’t have known it, even if he wanted to admit it. He never sought out a fight on purpose, and would rather withdraw if he knew the goal was unattainable. Or maybe he never really cared about anything or anyone enough to feel any sense of possessiveness over it. It didn’t feel like he had any rights to do that with the kind of past that he’d left behind.

Oh, for late Archon’s sake, but how ridiculous was that?!

He snorted, just quietly enough so that his companions wouldn’t notice.

Jealousy? Seriously? What was he, fourteen? There was simply no damn way. It couldn’t have been that – and if it was, there was nothing left but to be thoroughly disappointed in himself. Was Neuvillette not allowed to make friends now? What was he going to do, lock him up in the attic so that Wriothesley was the only one whom he could cast his gaze upon? Tsk! He would never want to stoop so low.

He was at least self-aware enough to know he was the one being a grouch on that day. And Neuvillette... for the better or worse, Neuvillette was his... ‘friend’. He had nothing but faith in him; even if he’d made a hundred friends, he would never truly leave Wriothesley behind, nor treat him any worse than the others.

Regardless of how he felt about the whole getting stood up thing, when he took the time to think about it, he didn’t have anything against the idea of Neuvillette and Ayato being friends.

If so, maybe it wasn’t envy after all. His hunch regarding Ayato’s suspicious behavior could’ve been more legit than he gave it credit for.

He felt a little bit relieved, but not for long, either.

Watching the fond way in which Ayato glanced at his host, sneaking in affectionate touches that went against everything Wriothesley has ever heard about Inazumans, was making his heart sink.

If he dared to be honest with himself for just a split second... he would be forced to admit that it wasn’t their friendship that worried him, nor the ridiculous idea that Neuvillette could abandon him, which he had every right to do. Instead, it was the thought that among those hundreds of friends that the Iudex made, Wriothesley would remain being treated exactly the same as the majority, while others – such as Ayato, for instance – would climb up the ladder towards a much more lucrative role.

But Wriothesley wasn’t stupid either, and he knew he was in no place to forbid others from having something just because he could not have it for himself.

Which did not stop him from awful whatsoever.

“What do you think, Wriothesley?” A sudden question once more forcibly snapped him out of his grim wonderings.

“Mm?” He looked up at Neuvillette with only a half-lucid glance.

“I was just saying that, considering Miss Chiori possesses such a highly versatile skillset, perhaps it would be... fun to do something like a style swap.” Ayato rushed to reply in his stead, “What if I got a Fontainian-style suit and gifted the two of you Inazuman kimonos? Provided that there are any available. I know we’ve only just met, but would Your Grace allow me to gift you one as well? You shan’t worry about the costs – today is all on me.”

He wasn’t sure what annoyed him more – the fact that he made it sound like he assumed Wriothesley was short on cash, or the fact that he would inevitably be indebted to the man upon agreeing. The other two looked at him expectantly, however, and he noticed a tinge of enthusiasm on Neuvillette’s face. Although the revered Chief Justice would rarely admit to caring about something as frivolous as fashion, Wriothesley knew damn well he paid keen attention to his looks, and getting a new style would probably make him happy. Who was he to rain on these two’s parade?

“I-I’m not really a... fashion icon, as you can see. But, for the sake of doing something together and ensuring Mr. Ayato has the best Fontaine experience possible... why not.” He finally stuttered out, cracking a somewhat weathered smile.

He would at least try to play it cool. Maybe if he no longer fixated on the negatives, he’d start seeing the brighter side of it, too.

Jealousy, seriously... absurd!

He had nothing to be jealous of. Him and Neuvillette were... nothing.

Nothing at all.

“Perfect!” Ayato clapped his hands, satisfied. “Well then, gentlemen – let us prove that shopping sprees are far from being exclusive to young ladies. It’s only a pity my sister can’t see it... she was giving me a hard time the other week, though admittedly, it may have had something to do with the amount I’d spent...”

Right as he said it, the trio finally reached the door of the Chioriya Boutique. Eager as he was, the commissioner headed inside first.

“His way of speech is... also very... foreign, isn’t it?” Wriothesley allowed himself to mumble through gritted teeth, and Neuvillette laughed – rather nervously, it had to be said.

“Without a doubt. But maybe a dash of sakura-scented air is exactly what this city needs today... let us experience this... shopping spree.” He said, using his elemental powers to make his cane dissipate into thousands of tiny water droplets.

Chapter Text

The inside of the Chioriya Boutique was a lot smaller than Wriothesley had imagined, although by no means did its humble size take away from its impeccable aesthetic. Despite the luxurious surroundings, it evoked a sense of familiar coziness, even for a first time visitor. Granted, this feeling might’ve been caused by the fact that Wriothesley has heard so much about it from all of his female friends, it was practically as if he’d been there himself.

Or... in hindsight, it may have also had to do with the fact that the store was unusually empty, devoid of customers and employees alike, with only the owner hunched in a remote corner, straightening the sleeves on one of the mannequins.

“Excuse me—“ Ayato started, only to be immediately interrupted:

“Oh, of course a dark time such as this could not be a quiet one, either...” Chiori mumbled under her breath, though not exactly so subtly that she could not be heard, then swiftly turned around. “Yes? How can I help you today, si—“

Upon seeing the three men idling by the entrance, she too paused mid-sentence, mouth agape. It was quite the rare occasion to see the renowned designer so flustered.

“L-Lord Ayato...? In here, I’m—“ The woman blinked in disbelief, and only after a few seconds have passed did she noticed the other two. “The Iudex, too... a-and the Duke of Meropide? Am I... hallucinating? Perhaps I’ve caught that fever too... Hmph.” Seemingly mad at her own eyes for deceiving her, she pinched the bridge of her nose in concern.

“Haha, I’m not sure if this confirmation will bring you woe or relief, but I can assure you all three of us are present here in the flesh.” Ayato said, accompanied by a polite bow. “Before leaving Fontaine, I could not refuse myself experiencing the exquisite services provided by your shop, Miss Chiori. I’ve heard nothing but praise from Ayaka and Chevreuse.”

“Oh, right, right.” Chiori finally snapped out of her daze and promptly returned the curtsy. “I see! Unexpected guests, indeed, um... welcome to the Chioriya Boutique, everyone. It’s my pleasure to see you here today! Take a look around and you might just find what you’re looking for. I must apologize however, we happen to be a bit... short-staffed at the moment.”

She let out a resigned sigh.

“You’ve mentioned something about a fever just now.” Wriothesley pointed out. “Did the rest of the staff get sick?”

“Yes, unfortunately.” Chiori nodded. “I told Eloffe to take a day off, but of course, she insisted on coming to work with a cold and within a couple of days, everyone but me was out of commission, tsk.”

“In that case, it might not be an appropriate time for the three of us to come all at once. We wouldn’t want to give you too much trouble.” Neuvillette also chimed in, serving as the voice of reason and humility, as expected.

“Trouble? Customers? Never! Well... maybe some of the time. Don’t worry though, serving customers like you, gentlemen, will be nothing but an honor, I’m certain of that. It’s hardly a challenge I couldn’t overcome!” Chiori’s spirit seemed to have lifted rather quickly as a confident smirk appeared on her face. “So, once again – how can I help you? Are you looking for anything in particular?”

The two Fontainians looked at Ayato, letting him take charge as they both simultaneously seemed to have realized that they were clueless as to what they were actually looking for exactly.

“Hmm... I think we’ll just browse through your prêt-à-porter collection... since I must depart in a few days, there won’t be time to meet again. Should I require any additional alterations, you can send the finished piece via the Komaniya Express. I suppose the same goes for my companions, since I’d like to settle the bill for them today as well.”

“Heh, concise and straight to the point. The Yashiro Commission truly does not disappoint.” Chiori’s smile widened; the fact that none of them seemed to be the fussy kind must’ve relieved her quite a bit. “Do you have any styles in mind already?”

“Yes, a standard Fontainian suit for me...” Ayato mused, taking a stroll around the shop and towards the men’s section, “...and two kimonos for my friends, given the season. Think of it as an amicable cultural exchange... oh, if you have Inazuman garments in stock, that is.”

“Men’s kimonos...? Not in my regular collection, but I do keep some at the back for the most curious shoppers and fellow Inazuman visitors. Not as rare as you’d think. I also just enjoy making them at my leisure. You’re in luck. I’ll be right back, let me see what we’re working with.” Though her stoic tone wouldn’t show it, her unusually energetic body language whilst she dashed to the back of the store suggested she was actually rather excited about the idea of putting two of the most well-known Fontainian men into some of her own designs.

Who wouldn’t be, Wriothesley thought. If their collective efforts could make Neuvillette ditch his ornate, restrictive getup for something as breezy-looking as a kimono, they may as well mark that day as a national holiday.

With the owner absent, the atmosphere in the boutique has taken a sudden turn for the awkward. Despite being so talkative just mere moments prior, now that the situation called for more fashion-related topics, the Iudex appeared to have taken on a vow of silence and simply stood amidst the shop like a masterfully crafted marble statue. Wriothesley, on the other hand, was far less used to idleness, and although he was wishing he were the one spoken to during their commute, now he decided he didn’t want his and Neuvillette’s private conversations to be overheard by a stranger. The silence was beginning to get a bit grating though, and so the only option remaining seemed to be figuring out said stranger’s deal, instead:

“So, Mr. Ayato... I’m assuming you picked this week for your vacation because of the Iudex’s invitation, right? Say, do you often travel alone? See, I’ve always wanted to take a destination vacation myself, it’s just... though I can’t say I’m a social butterfly through and through, I find no pleasure or relaxation in seeing the sights I can’t discuss with anyone right away.” He said, walking over to the commissioner, who was skimming through the suits rack.

“Ah?” Ayato quickly turned to him, and though subtle, one could notice that his face lit up at the question. “Well, hmm... yes and no. I don’t get to travel often in the first place, even for business matters. Whenever I can, I prefer to take my household along with me, but problems start when there’s nobody left to run said household, as Your Grace can probably imagine.  This time, for instance, my sister was involved in drafting a cultural festival, but she insisted that I went on vacation regardless. One thing Monsieur Neuvillette and I definitely have in common are our awful overworking tendencies.” He added, sending the judge yet another charming smile over his shoulder.

Wriothesley, who became hung up on the ‘household’ part, suddenly curious about this handsome nobleman’s marital status – which could make or break a lot of things, really – felt something akin to a whiplash upon witnessing that smile, and rushed to divert Ayato’s attention before it could get noticed by Neuvillette.

“Nothing striking your fancy?” He asked, pointing at the rack. “What kind of suit are you looking for? You said ‘Fontainian’ but, let me tell you, there are quite a lot of differences between north and south, east and west...”

Ayato stopped to think.

“Hm, that’s a good question. I’m simply assuming once I see the right piece... it will be love at first sight from that point onward. What does Your Grace think would suit me?” He looked up at him, and Wriothesley instinctively stepped back. There was something highly mischievous about that little smirk of his, and it was making him uneasy.

“Umm... err... w-white...?” He mumbled, taking a clue from Ayato’s preexisting outfit.

“Hmmm...” The other mused once more, and to his horror, took a step forward to close the distance he’s just barely increased.

Though, if his previous emotion was horror, then there was no word suitable enough to describe what the Duke felt once a dainty Inazuman hand swiftly climbed up his chest before stopping at his waistcoat’s lapel, pinching it between the fingers.

“E-Excuse me—“

“How about... something like this? This fabric feels very high quality. You wouldn’t happen to have gotten it from this shop, would you...?” Ayato’s eyes were fixed on his clothing, from the tie down to the buttons, seemingly unaware of the compromising position he’s put Wriothesley in.

“N-No it was from... someone at the Fortress...” He stuttered out, still taken aback and genuinely unable to remember the name of the tailor anymore.

“Oh? Well, I suppose one way or another, I won’t have time to seek them out. It’s a pity. I’ve heard so much about the Fortress of Meropide, and I’d love to see it for myself, but... of course, I understand it’s hardly a place Your Grace would like to show to outsiders like me.” And while Wriothesley hesitated, wondering how much of a faux pas would it be to push their ‘diplomatic ally’ away, Ayato’s hand moved towards his wolf-shaped badge. “This badge here, it’s pure silver, isn’t it? The craftsmanship is excellent here as well. You see, Inazuma has amazing smiths when it comes to swords, but jewelry and the like are quite lacking, I must admit. Where—“

“For that, I’m the wrong guy to ask.” Wriothesley said, using the opportunity to jump full three steps back. “It was a gift from none other than the Chief Justice himself.”

He couldn’t help but puff up a bit as he said that; finally, he had a reason to feel proud on that day.

“It was custom made at the time.” Neuvillette answered before Ayato could ask him the same question. Strangely, his arms were tightly crossed – not a stance one would usually see on someone as poised as him. In a way, he seemed... impatient, which also was something Wriothesley could barely recall him ever being. “Unfortunately, it was over a decade ago, so the craftsman has since passed away.”

“Great talent is so fleeting. Such a pity.” Ayato sighed, then thinking nothing of it – and apparently oblivious to his two companion’s visible discomfort, or pretending to be, anyway – walked over to another rack, this time containing gray clothing.

Wriothesley winced, as if the sight itself was responsible for the bad taste he suddenly felt in his mouth. If Ayato was really up to something devious, he wasn’t nearly as slick about it as he must’ve thought. First he stole his... his friend, and now he was trying to steal his look?!

In which lifetime did he offend the Electro Archon so severely she was now sending her most conniving messengers to punish him?!

If the air around them was awkward before, after that brief exchange it became as dense as a block of steel. Wriothesley tried to meet Neuvillette’s eyes with the corner of his, to which the other sharply turned his head away.

Thankfully, they didn’t need to wait much longer for Chiori to return with a thick stack of colorful fabric in her arms, which Neuvillette quickly ran to help her with, being the closest. Though curious, Ayato limited himself to sneaking a couple of peeks as he continued to browse, while the two future kimono owners gathered around the seamstress.

Kimonos themselves were, from the looks of it, rather heavy and complex garments, comprised of multiple elements that had to be impeccably matched. Luckily, the samples Chiori had to offer were ready-to-wear sets, although Wriothesley could still feel a growing sense of confusion the more colors, patterns and textures he was presented.

There was a reason why he tended to favor the monochrome.

Eventually, Neuvillette settled for a light blue kimono with a white koi fish pattern, and before he knew it, Ayato also sprouted behind his back clutching a couple of sets to compare, while Wriothesley wasn’t making much of a progress. Finally, he let out a frustrated growl:

“Ugh, Chiori... must all of these be so... flashy? Do you not have anything dark and simple, perhaps? More... my style?”

“Your Grace’s style leaves a lot to be desired, if I’m being honest. You could use a little bit of color and pattern in your life.” Chiori refuted, cold and sharp like the finest blade. Seeing his pathetic expression however, she hunched over the fabric pile laid out on the counter. “Well, should you insist on simplicity... the only kimono I have that matches your description is this set of black montsuki, haori, and hakama...”

“Huh? Perfect, I—“

“However, this is intended as a wedding kimono.” Chiori put her hands on her hips, and behind his back, he could hear Ayato’s obnoxious giggle. “I’m not letting a foreigner run around in this unless it’s a serious occasion! Ah... but... I suppose, with Lord Ayato’s visit and this sudden demand for group formal wear... is Your Grace getting married, perhaps?”

Normally cool and collected, Chiori’s entire professional attitude dissipated with a single curious lift of her eyebrows; it may not have revealed her thoughts on its own, yet from this one look, Wriothesley was very clearly able to read that if he picked his next words unwisely, he’d be the star of The Steambird’s front page the next morning.

For some god forsaken reason, Neuvillette and Ayato also leaned in closer to him, halting their breaths in anticipation. Such a betrayal!

“Married?! No, no, no, no, no...” He mumbled so quickly, the words of denial jumbled into a grim melody. “Nothing of the sort! N-Never, most likely! We’re just trying to... ugh, you know, just pick whatever you think I should wear. I give up.”

“This.” Chiori didn’t even blink before shoving her recommendation into his face. She must’ve been waiting a while to suggest it.

The kimono set she picked was bright red, albeit with a simple, striped pattern and a dark obi to match. While still a tad ‘flashy’ for Wriothesley’s taste, he’d agree to it just for peace of mind. Why did he care so much, anyway? It’s not like he would ever wear this thing out! If he hadn’t offered to pay for it, he would have to assume Ayato was trying to swindle him like a well-versed salesman.

“Do we really give off the impression of a groom’s party?” Neuvillette inquired, curious.

“Sure, why not? I’m not one to assume, Monsieur Neuvillette.” Chiori dropped off her pick into Wriothesley’s arms and huffed. “Hmph. You three wouldn’t even be in the top ten most bizarre customer experiences I’ve had. Of course, I don’t mean to disrespect my patrons, but... the bridal parties in particular can be rather insufferable.” It seemed like even just making this statement caused her to remember some former traumas, and thus deepened the shadows under the woman’s eyes.

Whilst they were on this only slightly nerve-racking topic, Wriothesley decided to seek out answers for his wonderings from earlier:

“Oh, yeah... Mr. Ayato, you’ve mentioned something about bringing your household along not too long ago, and it made me wonder. If it’s not too bold for me to ask, are you married, or... engaged, perhaps? It’s really hard to imagine a distinguished gentleman such as yourself still being up for grabs.” Wriothesley flashed him his most foxy grin, hoping he didn’t overdo it. As usual, every word of his was carefully calculated to retrieve exactly the information he needed. One could even think he sounded like he was interested in the commissioner himself, which he considered to be a rather handy red herring; in reality, the only thing he was interested in was establishing just how big of a threat this ‘opponent’ of his was.

But then, something much unexpected happened: for the first time since he’s introduced himself to him, Ayato’s own smile has completely faded from his flawless face. It wasn’t just a momentary reaction – his brows came together, forming a deep frown, and his hands twitched restlessly around the suits he’d picked.

It was hard to read the reason behind this change in attitude, at least to the extent Wriothesley wished he could – but it nevertheless seemed quite obvious that something about the question has greatly upset him.

“W-Well, in that case, I shall surprise Your Grace.” And despite the dark cloud that seemed to have loomed over him now, his voice still sounded as sunny as usual, making for a jarring and unsettling contrast. “I am not married, nor do I see myself fit to take such a monumental step just yet. Hah, though it may sound like I’m just a bachelor making excuses, it’s mostly to do with the amount of work I must do, you see. Perhaps when my sister is old enough to take over a half of our estate. In the meantime... no.” He cut himself off unexpectedly, and when he looked up at his two companions again, the gentle smile was already back on his face.

“Huh, I see. That’s reasonable, I suppose. Though I bet once you do decide to go for it, you won’t be lacking in offers, huh?”

Ayato let out a chuckle so stiff, Wriothesley could’ve sworn it made his muscles spasm.

“Who knows? That being said, I’m sure there are plenty of people in the Tri-Commission and among my extended family who wish I were already married, alas...”

Saying that wasn’t exactly helping his case if he wanted to not make himself look like a chronic playboy, Wriothesley thought.

“Yeah, that part sounds familiar, even to me.” He mumbled, though in his case, it wasn’t so much the entire commission breathing down his neck, but rather the entire population of gossip-starved Melusines with Sigewinne at the forefront. Cursed be the day they discovered those romantic films about princes and princesses.

“With great authority always come great expectations, no?”

Something about the way he said it made Wriothesley feel genuinely bad for Ayato.

There wasn’t much more time to linger and dwell on sworn bachelors’ woes, however; Chiori certainly didn’t want to spend her entire day dealing with her three undecided customers, for one. As such, she quickly ushered them to the back of the store to try on their outfits of choice so adjustments could be made. From the looks of it, Ayato had no qualms about undoing the endless layers of his elaborate attire right then and there, and Wriothesley thought he shouldn’t be left in the dust either, but before he could begin undressing, his senses were alerted by the sound of an unusually distraught Neuvillette:

“U-Umm... Miss Chiori? I truly do not wish to trouble you unnecessarily, but is there a more... isolated spot for one to change their wardrobe?”

Although they stood a fair distance away from him, he could hear Chiori’s sigh – and somehow, also the way she must’ve rolled her eyes.

“I don’t see how this is needed, but... well, I suppose I shouldn’t argue – it does sound rather odd for the Iudex of Fontaine to disrobe in the middle of my shop, doesn’t it?” She wondered to herself then, “There is a changing room back at the boutique. Your Honor is welcome to use it, however...”

“Thank you.” Neuvillette bowed his head and walked past her, as fast as one could walk before it became a jog.

“Hold your horses, please! In that case, I must accompany you. It’s not just a shirt and trousers sir, a kimono will require two people to properly put on, especially for a first-timer.”

Hearing that, the imposing Iudex almost jumped out of his skin like a spooked cat. “N-No, I would really rather do it alone. It doesn’t seem appropriate for a young lady to enter the changing room with me...”

Wriothesley knew Neuvillette long enough to unmistakably detect whenever he was lying – and he was not a very sophisticated liar, unless his job was at stake. Ironically, little white lies seemed to be what he failed the most at. Either way, it was rather evident that he was looking for every possible excuse to avoid undressing in front of witnesses, only Wriothesley couldn’t yet guess as to why.

Momentarily, that green monster inside his gut started to conceive various blasphemous ideas as to why the Iudex would want to play coy and avoid exposing himself in front of his Inazuman ‘friend’. It made him feel nauseous. Not because of the nature of these ideas per se, but rather from the disgust he felt towards himself for allowing his thoughts to head that way with no real evidence. This was so unlike him – and so unlike Neuvillette, also. He felt as if he were betraying the trust the other had bestowed upon him when he gave him that badge Ayato was so interested in.

He’d be the first one to admit however: it was so damn hard to fight off these intrusive thoughts and doubts.

“I insist.” The stern tone of Chiori’s undaunted plea suddenly brought the Duke back to Teyvat. “Monsieur Neuvillette, an inexperienced hand might even damage the garment in the process. Of course, it would still have to be fully paid for, but since it appears to be a gift, would it not be a shame to lose it over something so—“

“I understand.” Neuvillette nodded, and his teeth sank into his lower lip. For a moment, it seemed like that was where the debate would end, but then, all of the sudden, he approached Wriothesley and put his hand on his arm. The Hydro dragon’s human form was not exactly the warmest of presences but for once, his touch felt searing like a Pyro slime. “Then... how about I bring the Duke along to help me? Though he may not be as experienced, it’s still an extra pair of hands and if we come across any trouble, he’ll waste no time to ask for your guidance, Miss. Isn’t that right, Wriothesley?”

Wriothesley was too stunned to speak, let alone move his head to nod, but Neuvillette seemed to have read it as a ‘yes’ regardless. Perhaps their mental link was just that strong these days.

“Fine. Better than nothing, I suppose. I’ll be here, helping Mr. Kamisato if you need anything.” Chiori shook her head and sighed. Non-problematic customers sounded too good to be true to begin with, she must’ve thought, judging by her expression.

And so, before he knew it, he was being dragged behind a soft, velvet curtain back in the boutique’s main room, nearly tripping over his own legs in the process; his legs were indeed stiff and heavy as logs, at no fault of his boots, nonetheless.

He was extremely confused by Neuvillette’s unseemly stubbornness just then, but more so by the fact that he got picked as the kimono dressing assistant of choice when the other two options included an Inazuman designer, and an Inazuman nobleman.

“Umm... Neuvillette? Would you mind shedding some light onto... whatever the heck was that just now?” He asked once he’s found a suitable spot to put down his own kimono that he never even got the chance to let go of.

It was a bizarre situation indeed. Seconds felt as though they were hours as he watched Neuvillette also set down his things and take off his coat before reluctantly gracing him with an answer:

“I... I sincerely apologize for dragging you into this embarrassing situation.” His eyes drooped down in shame. “I wasn’t sure what to do, and you happen to be the only person here who knows my secret. Whilst I do not consider it to be strictly confidential information, I’d still prefer if it wasn’t spread around carelessly.”

“Your secret...?” It’d seem that Wriothesley’s mind was especially slow on that day, perhaps unused to being weighed down by so many unnecessary feelings. “Oh!”

Eventually, it all became clear once Neuvillette began to remove his gloves, revealing his very much dragon-like hands that the Duke had the opportunity to see only a handful of times in the past; they had a blue tint to them, matching that of the long antennae nestled in his hair, and were crowned with fairly intimidating, long nails to match. These must’ve been far from the only incriminating features of the Hydro Sovereign’s otherwise flawless human form, thus explaining why he’d be so hesitant to expose it.

In the end, the only embarrassing part of this situation was the fact that Wriothesley didn’t think of it sooner. Was he really so badly blinded?

And yet despite this realization, he could not bite himself in the tongue before asking:

“You mean... Ayato doesn’t know about you...?”

“No. Why would he?” He shook his head and, fittingly enough for a judge, the impact it made on Wriothesley was only comparable to the elation one might feel after being spared from a death sentence. “Ayato is a cherished friend and ally of mine, but within the current state of things, I don’t see how this revelation would be relevant to him. Not to mention, the Yashiro Commission has considerably close ties to the Electro Archon...”

He frowned, though it lasted only a moment before he turned around and sat on the lone wooden chair in the corner of the changing room.

“And... it was relevant to me?” Wriothesley asked, feeling a hundred times more willing to joke now that he knew he had at least one winning card against his seemingly undefeatable opponent.

“You’ve basically figured it out yourself before I said anything – in the end, I only confirmed it.” Neuvillette chuckled, despite the non-satisfying answer he’s just given. Then again, maybe he shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. “Since I’m already abusing your acts of kindness Wriothesley, would you mind helping me with these buttons?”

He was pointing at his thigh high spats which, arguably, were just as impractical as Ayato’s sleeves, but boy did they make him easy on the eye.

For a few seconds, Wriothesley danced around him like a lost animal before finally getting down on his knees, realizing it would be the only convenient way of going about it, as silly as it made him look. He certainly wasn’t going to ignore any of this man’s orders, anyhow.

“Alright. Legs up, princess.”

Didn’t mean that he wouldn’t allow himself to tease him a bit to make up for that hit to his dignity, however.

“Wriothesley...” The Iudex hummed threateningly, “Mind your words, please. I fail to see how a term like this should be appro—“

“Or is it? You’ve dragged a cranky old prison ward along to go on a clothes shopping spree with your new... ‘bestie’.” He grinned, which made the other scoff. “That’s behavior worthy of a princess, wouldn’t you agree, Your Honor?”

He truly meant it as a joke and nothing more, without an ounce of malice in it. In a way, saying it out loud made accepting this reality – and the fact that he had no power over who Neuvillette chose to spend his time with – easier.

He took hold of one of his legs and worked on the buttons from the thigh down without rushing. As compromising as this position was, there were some noticeable upsides to it; over the course of his life, he’d only ever imagined himself facing the Iudex on his knees in two possible scenarios, neither of which he had planned to take place inside a boutique’s changing room.

Well, maybe one of them. But that’d be very much in poor taste.

Unfortunately, the other didn’t seem to share his amusement. Yet again, his expression has sunken with guilt after something he said. As soon as he noticed it, Wriothesley nearly swore not to ever open his mouth again.

That day was nothing but a failed endeavor. He was starting to think he should’ve stayed back at the Fortress and let Neuvillette enjoy his time with someone who was clearly far more pleasant to be around – that is, until he heard him say the following:

“As far as apologies go... I believe there’s also another thing that I owe you one for.”

“That is...?”

“While I wouldn’t necessarily call myself an expert at noticing the subtleties of human emotion, well...” He hesitated and sighed, “It is hard not to notice that you don’t seem to be having a good time today. I probably shouldn’t have insisted for you to come along with us.”

Which was a very sweet and polite way of saying he regretted inviting him, if Wriothesley knew anything about people himself.

“N-No, I—“

“I have my suspicion as to why that is, though... Wriothesley, I’m sorry for not telling you anything about Ayato’s visit in advance, and then missing our own meeting. Since it is so rare that he comes here, I directed all my focus onto making a good impression of both Fontaine as well as myself, but... it all turned out to look very distasteful on my side, didn’t it? Frankly, your anger is justified.”

It was a somewhat odd scene, with Wriothesley on his knees, looking up to the person whom he held in such high regard, yet who stared into his soul with a pair of sad lilac eyes, seemingly ready to be put in handcuffs for his terrible crimes. If anything, it was a sign of yet another failure of his behalf. He should’ve never made his petty and inexplicable feelings known to him in the first place; although his judgment was, as usual, correct, despite Wriothesley’s lasting anger, not once did he think to blame Neuvillette for anything.

It wasn’t his fault that he’s made a friend, damn it! They weren’t attached at the hip. Has the Duke of Meropide really fallen so low to let his words and attitude be dictated by some primitive feelings?

“There’s nothing to apologize for, Neuvillette.” He said as he’s finished unbuttoning his spats, and let his elbow rest on top of the other’s lap. “You know what? I’ll be honest with you, I’m not having a great day today. I should apologize to you for being so ill-humored and ruining your and Ayato’s outing. None of it is your fault, though. It’s me... I’m the problem.” Upon realizing it, he stood up. “I... I think you’re right, after we’re done buying these I should just go home and—“

“That’s not what I meant to imply at all!” Neuvillette stood up as well. “I was quite happy to learn that you’d be joining us today. It feels like it’s been a long time since the two of us got to meet outside of work, and I was hoping—Umm... a-although if you’re feeling unwell, I won’t be stopping you.”

Wriothesley has already started considering leaving the changing room, if not out of anger then out of sheer embarrassment at his own actions, but alas, those words swiftly disarmed him and his poorly thought-out excuses. The Iudex’s kind reassurance didn’t quite solve the underlying cause of his bad mood, but it was rather hard not to let it go into his head, even a little bit.

Slowly, he turned back around and leaned against the fragile wooden wall, trying to act natural, even though the entire structure wobbled ominously, likely under the weight of his newfound ego.

“Fine, then. If Your Honor finds my presence so deeply essential to his enjoyment that he asks me personally – I think I can be so kind as to stay with you a while longer.”

Any sensible soul would whack him over the head for that shameless remark as well as his stupid, shit-eating grin but conversely, Neuvillette’s face only lit up even brighter, and he could’ve sworn his eyes nearly started to glow in the dim changing room.

“Yes, it is most essential, indeed.”

At the very least, the atmosphere seemed to have cleared up marginally after this exchange.

Wriothesley sorted through the many confusing elements of Neuvillette’s chosen kimono, hanging them over the edge of the wall in order to figure out whichever should come first and dreading the time when it would be his turn to put one on. The latter busied himself with removing the rest of his clothes, starting from the bottom. Since it was his own choice to put himself inside the changing room with the Duke, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that he didn’t appear to mind his close proximity whatsoever and yet, Wriothesley felt rather conflicted; he was unsure whether to interpret such extraordinary level of trust as complete lack of interest in him as a man – not that he was looking for that, or anything – or on the other hand, rejoice that one of the people he cared for the most found himself so comfortable in his company.

It was a wonderful thing, trust, that is. It was moments like these that made him so desperately wish it could come to him easily, still. Neuvillette was probably the closest he’s ever come to fully trusting someone again since he’s become an adult and even he wasn’t spared from his poisoned mind’s doubts and accusations.

Ultimately, he didn’t say anything, and on the most primal level – he didn’t exactly mind the sights he was being offered, at least based on the glances he’d steal occasionally while hanging the clothes up.

The last piece to leave Neuvillette’s body was his white shirt, pristine as ever. Watching it slip down his shoulders for the first time, Wriothesley had his earlier guesses confirmed: the shimmering blues tinted the Hydro dragon’s skin roughly up to the elbows, as well as the knees on his legs. On his arms, neck, ribs, hips, and along his spine, small, snake-like scales could be spotted; their specific placement made him think that it must’ve been where his fins would be in another form. A fascinating sight, and, of course, a beautiful one, too. The man who had once glared upon him from the judge’s podium appeared so small and slender now, yet did not lose any of his authority. He might’ve actually respected him even more now. If anything, it was humbling but nonetheless delightful to see this more vulnerable side of him; his body was like a finely sculpted work of art – immaculate and enchanting.

He was so enchanting in fact, that in the process of reaching these conclusions, Wriothesley’s eyes lingered a little longer than they should’ve, until they met Neuvillette’s in the mirror; as the latter was fixing his hair, he seemed to have tried to steal a glance of his own, too. Evidently, he wasn’t prepared to himself be watched, and quickly turned away in what ended up being a terribly awkward moment.

I should apologize, Wriothesley instantly thought to himself, but as he opened his mouth, the only sounds that came out could not be understood even by hilichurls. Giving up, he ended up also turning away, so haphazardly he nearly face planted into the wall inside the cramped space.

“I... don’t mind if you look at me.” He suddenly heard Neuvillette say, seemingly innocently, but by doing so he may as well have grabbed his heart and squeezed it until it burst.

“W-Why would I be looking...? N-Nevermind.” He mumbled in response.

He would not look his way again until the other had put on the first two layers.

Even a man with a lifestyle as isolated as the Duke of Meropide has seen a kimono or two in his day and so, thankfully, the process of putting it on wasn’t nearly as daunting as Chiori had made it out to be. Heeding her advice, they made sure not to wrap it the wrong way around as one would a corpse, and the rest proceeded smoothly. Shortly before they were done, Wriothesley was sent out to find matching gloves to conceal the hands Neuvillette was so cautious about. He returned just in time to see the look completed by having the long, silver hair put up into a neat knot – a hairstyle he was yet to see on him. Refreshing.

“Hmm... I think this obi belt is still laying a tad too high. For a man, it should be around the hips. Could you help me? I worry I might make a mess of things now.” Neuvillette asked, catching a glimpse of his face amidst admiring himself in the mirror again – and rightfully so.

Wriothesley sighed and rolled his eyes theatrically, but made his way over with no real complaints.

“What would Your Honor do without me?”

“Hmm... I see that it should be clarified, that I do not necessarily need your help, Wriothesley; rather, I enjoy making use of it.”

It really took a hundreds year old non-human being to say something like that without an ounce of shame, Wriothesley thought, but spared him from a comment. Instead, he approached Neuvillette from behind and grabbed the two sides of the obi, doing his best to pull it down, as it seemed like the simplest method. The thing was on pretty snugly, and it took quite a bit of trial and error to move it, combined with increasing amounts of presumptuous touching. Wriothesley was doing his best to avoid it, though the fact that the other didn’t mind, and therefore didn’t signal any discomfort was not helping; neither was the way in which Neuvillette’s back leaned against him for support. Finally, after applying some more force, the belt slid down in one fell swoop.

Now, keeping his hands around his hips was no less awkward, but the Duke wasn’t in a rush to remove them, intrigued by the image that greeted him from the mirror. The look has reached its intended form.

“This is certainly very different, isn’t it...?” Neuvillette asked cautiously, examining himself from various angles. “Well... what do you think? How do I look?”

Gorgeous. Stunning. Breathtaking. Positively ethereal, or maybe, rather: hot as the deepest depths of the Abyss. These were only some of the many potential answers that instantly came to Wriothesley’s mind upon hearing that question. All were equally appropriate, yet at the same time, none was sufficient enough to truly describe the extent of beauty and grace the man standing in front of him possessed. That was a fact regardless of whether he was wearing this kimono, his usual everyday coat, or nothing at all.

Those were only his thoughts, however; in reality, what did end up leaving his mouth was a mere, very hoarse:

“...Not bad.”

And as he said it, Wriothesley wished a thunder would strike him right then and there, and take the whole shop down with it, preferably.

It wasn’t that he was unable to say what he was really thinking – it was that he couldn’t. Sure, he didn’t exactly wear his feelings on his sleeve; that just wasn’t the way to survive on the streets, or in prison for that matter. He always tried to show his better side to his friends, nevertheless. He certainly wasn’t a bumbling idiot who was too shy and scared to speak his mind in front of someone he admired, even if he did abstain from doing so, sometimes.

Even if he was too nervous to tell Neuvillette how he felt exactly, he could’ve at least done better than that pathetic comment. They were still considered friends, whether that was the status quo he accepted or not.

But... he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to give Neuvillette false hope, nor a hint of anything that could’ve given him the idea that Wriothesley wouldn’t mind being something more than ‘friends’. Because really, they couldn’t.

It’d only make Neuvillette miserable, and that wouldn’t be fair.

“Really? Hah, I’ll take it. Thank you!” Neuvillette gave himself one last glance before turning towards Wriothesley, and since the latter never let go of his hips, they were dangerously close to what some might’ve called an embrace. Alas, the Duke found himself unable to withdraw. His favorite dragon’s eyes looked bright as two stars, and his smile was so sweet and full of joy, it was like nectar he was getting intoxicated with. And over what? The worst compliment to have ever been conceived in Teyvat?

It was breaking his heart, actually.

However, before either of them could say – or do, for that matter – any more foolish things they’d end up regretting, they were startled by a loud bang; for a moment, both of them were sure the changing room was going to come down on their heads.

“Alright dear customers, your time’s about to be up! Two more minutes maximum, after that I’m pulling you out, ready or not!” As it turned out, it was just Chiori knocking ceaselessly on the wall.

“O-Oh? Please excuse us, I wasn’t aware there are time limits on changing rooms these days...?” Neuvillette, brave as he was, tried to understand the logic behind it.

“Yes, yes there are, unfortunately. Not that it’s good for business, I despise inconveniencing my customers... but some of them just cannot behave, I’m afraid. We’ve had one incident too many, and enough was enough.”

In order not to waste their precious time, or perhaps out of fear, neither of them chose to inquire as to what those ‘incidents’ might’ve been.

Once they finally reunited with their Inazuman companions, they were warmly welcomed by Ayato, who has since finished changing into his new light gray suit, a choice that was clearly inspired by Wriothesley’s own taste which he’d previously praised so much. Judging by the pins sticking out the sides and sleeves, the majority of adjustments have already been mapped out, waiting to be sown or, more accurately, waiting until the wearer stopped consciously showing off so that the suit could be worked on.

Tsk.

“We’ve only been gone for a moment, yet in the meantime, Mr. Ayato has transformed into a proper Fontainian gentleman, it seems.” Neuvillette wasted no time to praise him as he admired the suit up close. “I hope my take on the Inazuman kimono didn’t turn out terribly offensive, either.”

Ayato bowed again. “Not at all! Monsieur Neuvillette, you look as spectacular as the full moon rising above the ocean waves on a brisk winter’s eve.”

Immersed in the cozy atmosphere of the quiet changing room, Wriothesley had already managed to forget about his woes or put them aside at least, only to suddenly be brutally smacked in the face by these pretentious words. Of course Mr. Kamisato didn’t hold back on his compliments.

Tsk.

“Err, that’s a... positive thing, I hope?” Neuvillette asked, raising his brows slightly.

“Oh, of course my friend. I’m sure this look would turn many heads if you had ever chosen to take a stroll down the streets of Hanamizaka in it.”

“I must agree there, but—“ Chiori interjected, nodding approvingly, “With only a few adjustments, the look can be elevated even more. Allow the professional to step in. In the meantime, perhaps Mr. Kamisato could help the Duke get changed?”

“Gladly.” Ayato reached for Wriothesley’s own previously abandoned kimono and as soon as he approached him, the latter instinctively took a step back like a cornered dog. A single step was about as far as he went though, not wanting to lose face in front of the Chief Justice.

Although he wasn’t exactly a fan of showing off his body in front of strangers either, knowing that his scars usually attracted questions he didn’t enjoy answering on a good day, Wriothesley chose to treat the occasion like one of his boxing matches and threw his clothes off without a fuss. Even so, it was hard not to notice those cunning eyes following his every movement, scanning every last inch of his skin in search of one definite thing: intel. Ayato must’ve been carefully collecting information on him to add to his undoubtedly vast inner library. Between what he’s heard and his own life experience, he knew that Inazumans were people who typically preferred to keep their thoughts to themselves so naturally, he didn’t let out even a peep whilst gently maneuvering him around the kimono. Usually, Wriothesley would consider that to be a good trait, but now, it took all of his conflict-avoiding skills he’d learned the hard way during his sentence not to request for Ayato to just spit the damn thing out already.

Then again, maybe the man was also restraining himself from making any catty comments in the presence of his renowned friend.

Unlike the ceremony they’d made out of it back at the changing room, Wriothesley got dressed relatively quickly and without any remarkable happenings, simply shoving his hands down the sleeves the other held up for him. As he made the final adjustments, he couldn’t resist asking one small tongue-in-cheek question:

“So, how do I look, Mr. Ayato? Am I as pretty as the moon too?”

Ayato seemed a bit taken aback, but laughed it off.

“Very good, but I’m not sure this is the term I’d use. Rather, Your Grace is as sharp and lustrous as a finely crafted katana, if you wish to go into more sophisticated metaphors. As are your tongue and mind, I’ve heard.”

“Mm? What do you mean by that?”

Suddenly, the commissioner lowered his voice into a whisper and leaned in:

“A little finch has told me that one of the many reasons why Fontainians can sleep so soundly at night is that even when the Gardes are at rest, a certain Duke’s many pairs of extra eyes continue to watch over them, ready to report on anything that His Grace or the Iudex would find... unsettling.”

Wriothesley’s regular eyes narrowed meanwhile; he was far from happy about his covert dealings being so easily unraveled and dissected by a foreigner, one that he wasn’t fond of at that, but at the same time, he was impressed. Whatever the hell that sly fox was trying to get at, it was far more interesting than babbling about the art he kept in his fancy estate.

“Eh, I wouldn’t exactly put it like that. I’m far from being any kind of... behind the scenes vigilante. Meropide can feel like an underwater bubble at times, and I like being in the know about things.”

“Hah! Nor would I expect Your Grace to be one. But indeed, the Fortress is but a melting pot of people from all ways of life, and with it also comes a different type of knowledge, wouldn’t you say? Not a thing goes unnoticed by the Duke within those iron-clad walls; a wise man knows how to play his cards and rightfully judge when to allow matters to unravel, and when to intervene.” Ayato’s hands reached for the collar of Wriothesley’s kimono. At first, the latter flinched, but the intervention turned out to be a mere attempt at straightening it up – whether it was a ruse or not, it was hard to tell. “It is an art form that I too aspire to master one day, though my everyday duties often get in the way. You see, I’m also a man who values knowledge – especially the kinds of knowledge passed on by those who feel they’ve got nothing more to lose in terms of breaking the law. Say, has Monsieur Neuvillette ever mentioned the Shuumatsuban to you?”

The Duke gave himself an honest minute to try and remember, but the truth was, even if he’s heard it before, he had likely dismissed it and discarded it from his memory shortly after. He did have a particular fondness for collecting information, yes – the only exception being, when he was with Neuvillette, his mind was occupied by different matters altogether, very much guided by another kind of ‘fondness’.

“Can’t say he has. Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“The Shuumatsuban are my very own ‘eyes’ that I’ve placed across Inazuma, although, like I said, I don’t believe their efficiency and methods are quite as refined as those of the unnamed shadows who answer to Your Grace. They’ve got much to learn indeed... and I think the Fortress of Meropide, so abundant in its unique form of knowledge, would be a great place to do so.”

Wriothesley burst out laughing, only covering his mouth with his hand after he’s attracted much more attention that this confidential conversation required.

“Haha, oh, I see. Now I see what you’ve been getting at this whole time. You want to place your spies under my nose, isn’t it? A bold game to play, on someone else’s turf nonetheless.” He had to admire the nerve, but also wondered the true purpose; he was already in contact with the Iudex and surely many others if he had his own special forces at his disposal. What was he to gain from being a fly on the wall in prison?

He was a good player of this game but so far, he did nothing to change Wriothesley’s mind on him being an opponent of his interest, if not a threat to it.

After patiently sitting through his outburst, Ayato blinked quickly, and back to the smile it was. With all the attention on them, his voice lowered even further, until it was barely audible:

“Can we really refer to it as ‘espionage’ when I’m openly asking for Your Grace’s consent...?”

“Does it matter if I give you my consent or not? Hell, I bet they’re already there. They might be hiding among these clothing racks for what I know. I did find it odd that a commissioner would have crossed all of Teyvat by himself. I suppose that explains it.”

“I might be bold indeed, but I am far from foolish, or so I’d like to think. I would never dare to make myself an enemy of Your Grace.” Ayato said, and Wriothesley couldn’t stop himself from snorting with laughter again. If only he knew the half of it. “It is a mutual agreement. Should you accept it, I’ll permit for your informers to be stationed in Inazuma as well, with the ability to call on the Shuumatsuban’s help anytime.”

He was already opening his mouth, preparing a refusal, but then it occurred to him that this kind of ‘unofficial diplomatic presence’ could possibly benefit Neuvillette even more than him. He often relied on his subtly delivered intel as is, since the Chief Justice couldn’t be caught getting involved with underground affairs himself.

Not that the whole Fontaine didn’t know that he was, anyway.

Having realized it, he stopped himself – and then leaned in, looming over the slightly shorter man until his shadow covered the entirety of his face:

“I’ll think about it.”

“Excellent.”

“Ow—“

“Monsieur Neuvillette, how many times must I tell you to stop looking the other way when I’m inserting the pins? Last one... and done, I think. Let me jolt it down in my notebook.”

It wasn’t very often that one would hear the Hydro dragon cry out in pain, and as such, Wriothesley’s attention instantly jumped onto him, instead. Oddly enough, once their eyes met, Neuvillette turned his away and loudly cleared his throat.

“Ahem... Wriothesley, could you come here for a second?”

So he did.

“Yes?”

Even when he approached him, he still wouldn’t glance his way and yet, he had a lot to say about the way he looked:

“You know, I must say, I would’ve never tried to picture you wearing a robe such as this, Wriothesley... but it suits you quite well. It has a dignified look about it...”

‘Robe’ checked out; while he couldn’t say the kimono was uncomfortable, if a little tight, despite the high regard the garment was traditionally held in, it made him feel like he was wearing a particularly stiff bathrobe. In a way, it was kind of relaxing, making him yearn for a trip to the hot springs he’s read so much about.

“It’s not awful, I suppose, but I’m still not sure about this bright red.”

“I think it’s rather flattering—“ Neuvillette continued, finally looking at him. “It creates a certain sense of harmony with the color of your eyes and complexion.”

“Huh. Thanks.” He said, cursing the fact that he worked in a place as grim as the Fortress, where even the administrator didn’t want to draw unwanted attention to himself; otherwise, he’d be wearing nothing but the most vibrant red for the rest of his life after hearing that. “So, is this indulgent flattery the only thing you called me over for?”

“Not quite. I wouldn’t want to steal your job.” The corners of Neuvillette’s lips twitched in a cheeky smile that Wriothesley wished lasted a while longer before he suddenly pointed at the clothes rack in front of them. “Now, please take a look at the dress over here, the pink one. What do you think?”

His eyes followed to where his finger was pointing until they were met with a child-sized dress that was indeed very much pink, but tastefully decorated with what he could only assume was hand-spun lace and sparkling gemstones. All in all – quite ornate for a kids’ garment, dedicated only for the most spoiled little princesses.

“For Sigewinne?” He guessed.

“Mhm. We were originally meant to shop for her birthday presents this week, weren’t we? Perhaps if we combined it with some exclusive accessories we could pass it off as a joint gift.”

“That would make it easier on us, huh?” With that in mind, Wriothesley walked over and felt the quality of the fabric for himself. He was no expert, but it seemed... alright. “Now that you mention it, back at your birthday party she said something about wishing she had more clothes for fancy occasions. I can confirm firsthand, she’s not storing anything like this at the infirmary, or her treasure closet, for that matter.”

“Do you think she would enjoy this style? I’ve been thinking about getting her some clothes earlier, but since most of those that fit are meant for children, I was uncertain as to whether she would find it offensive.”

Wriothesley shrugged. “It’s not that different from what she usually wears, only fancier, right? She loves cute things. The color should be fine, too. Melusines don’t see it the same way as we do, anyway. Besides, there’s no way she’d ever get offended by anything she receives from her ‘papa’.”

He couldn’t refuse himself that one.

“D-Don’t use that word...” Neuvillette whined, hiding his face in his hand.

“This dress is... adorable. And so is Sigewinne, I guess. I think we should get it. Blame it on me if anything goes wrong... as always.”

And so, the two of them settled on the gift much faster than either would’ve thought, asking Chiori to use her designer’s touch to pick some accessories to go with it. Before they could head to the register, however, they remembered that Wriothesley was the only one who hasn’t gotten his adjustments yet; as such, Chiori rushed to stab some pins into him last minute when Ayato, already changed back into his regular outfit, decided to humor them with conversation again:

“A child’s dress...?” He wondered, spotting it lying on the counter. “I’ve been hearing and reading the name ‘Sigewinne’ repeatedly for many months now, but I don’t think I’ve ever been familiarized with the full context. This ‘Sigewinne’, she’s your...?”

“Friend.”

“Family.”

Unsure who the question was directed at, Wriothesley and Neuvillette replied simultaneously, with pretty embarrassing results. The former was caught off guard, really; he always teased Neuvillette about his paternal feelings towards the Melusines in private, but he wouldn’t have thought he’d so readily call them his ‘family’. Admittedly, he’s been becoming a lot more open about his feelings ever since he took over Fontaine’s leadership. It filled Wriothesley with a sense of pride but also... worry.

As usual, Ayato dodged any and all unpleasant exchanges by gracefully laughing this one off, too.

“Ah, I see... your family friend, then?”

“I guess.” He confirmed, nevermind the implication that he and the Iudex were apparently a singular family unit now. Hell, maybe he wanted Ayato to think exactly that.

“Wonderful! It sounds like both of you care about her deeply, so she must be an outstanding young lady. I hope to meet her as well some day. As a matter of fact, the Yashiro Commission also has a girl around that age under our care, though... rambunctious as she is, it’s hard for me to imagine her in this kind of fashion.” He turned towards the dress again, allowing himself to fall into a deeper thought for a minute before he continued: “Hm... right, I suppose I should look into purchasing some souvenirs for my sister and the rest of the household, even though I’ll probably hold off on handing them over at this... peculiar time of the year. There is no rush, then. They can be delivered by the Komaniya Express at a later date.”

Giving your family gifts long after you’ve returned from your trip did sound quite odd to the two Fontainians, and definitely did not escape Neuvillette’s attention:

“Why would this time of the year be so peculiar, might I ask?”

Ayato seemed surprised by the question, but patiently explained regardless:

“In Inazuma, the second and third months of the year are typically the time to exchange gifts between lovers – women first, and then it’s men’s turn. It’d probably be fine if I brought presents for my sister, but when it comes to employees... some people might see it as... inappropriate.” Much like during that brief moment before, his smile waned, his eyes shifted to the side, and fingers fidgeted, seemingly fixing one of his sleeves. “Ahem. Is it not a tradition here in Fontaine? I’ve heard that it originated in the northern parts of Teyvat, in fact.”

“There is something, I suppose. Each year, the Melusines go crazy delivering some cutesy love letters to the inmates. I wouldn’t know though, I don’t celebrate.” Wriothesley remembered, then realized how pathetic he’s just made himself sound to both his newfound rival and his... friend. Quickly, he tried to scramble back up, running with the first thought that came to him: “B-But, I don’t skip the gifts, either. Last year around this time, Neuvillette got me enough tea to last me a lifetime, right?” He looked at the other for moral support; this would be the ultimate testament to their so-called personal relationship.

And as always, he didn’t fail him:

“Oh, yes. Actually, it just so happens that I’d also been traveling at the time, so it ended up being a souvenir. There was also a handmade slate that I—“

“Handmade? Oh my.” The remark slipped out of Ayato before the other was finished, and was promptly followed by a chuckle which made Wriothesley feel like wasn’t being laughed along with, but rather laughed at. There was an undeniable underlying tinge of awkwardness beneath his smirk, though. “That’s right – I’ve heard Your Grace is a huge tea enthusiast, is that correct?”

Wriothesley nodded shortly.

“Interesting. See, as a matter of fact, I’m a big fan of a certain Inazuman tea-based drink myself, and I’ve been missing it here so badly I’ve asked one of the local cafes to make it for me daily, with proper remuneration of course. The result ended up being slightly different than what I’m used to, but delightful nonetheless. I wanted to introduce Monsieur Neuvillette to this treat anyway, but with a connoisseur onboard, it’s become a top priority.”

“What kind of drink...?” Wriothesley asked, crossing his arms and raising his brow; the matter of tea might’ve been even more serious than whatever shady businesses he’s been up to with his spies. At this rate, he wouldn’t be surprised if the guy tried to poison them, either.

“It’s a bit complicated to explain without a visual, I’m afraid. Some of the major ingredients consist of black tea, milk, tapioca flour, and—“

“F-Flour?! In tea...?” The Duke’s hands flew towards his head. For maybe the first time in his life, he was feeling like he was about to faint – not even Sigewinne’s questionable milkshakes had had that effect on him! He was offended to his very core. Repulsed, even.

And yet again, Neuvillette came to his rescue before he could have a total crash out:

“To be honest, I could use something to drink. If you’re not in a rush to head elsewhere, I’d love for you to take us to that café, Mr. Ayato. If I know Wriothesley, I can safely assume he hasn’t had any lunch yet, either.”

“It’s not a problem at all.” Ayato beamed like the little perfect ray of sunshine he was. “Is that so? As it happens, me neither. Then, let us change, settle things with Miss Chiori, and we’ll be on our merry way.”

Of course, the Chief Justice wasn’t wrong – when was he ever? Even if Wriothesley tried to be stubborn and deny it, his grumbling stomach would rat him out sooner than later.

Since when did he care about his meals, anyway?! Human shaped or not, he was still an immortal dragon with a completely different physiology. Only a few years prior, Wriothesley would have to slowly explain to him the concept of not being able to stay up three nights in a row to go through two hundred thousand pages of court case documentation. He’s really been taking on more and more human mannerisms the more he stayed with them... or maybe those were just Sigewinne’s mannerisms? Maybe he’s just learned how to nag the Duke in particular from her. It was a common sport among the Melusines, after all.

Neuvillette seemed to be evolving so rapidly... while Wriothesley felt like he’s barely made a couple steps from where he was as that youth who’d met him at the courtroom.

About half an hour later, as the three of them finally left the shop with a handful of bags, they headed straight to the Café Lutece, even though Wriothesley wasn’t sure he’d be able to swallow anything with the bitter taste that still persisted in his mouth. Here he was again, treading behind Neuvillette and his beloved new friend, who were getting along as splendid as ever, now discussing the misadventures of raising their respective young wards. The Iudex looked so much more energetic, younger even, talking to Ayato than when he spoke to him.

So far, Wriothesley has achieved exactly nothing on that day. The only thing he did was sour the mood, which in hindsight may have even convinced the two to stick together more in order not to provoke further outbursts from him. Even when he was given the rare opportunity to shine, he blew it. Everything seemed hopeless so far. That stupidly smirking buffoon would steal Neuvillette from right under his nose and Wriothesley will just stand there helplessly, unable to do anything.

He really was helpless. He couldn’t do anything that would raise Neuvillette’s suspicions or destroy the status quo they’ve built for themselves. He couldn’t, damn it! It was not what Neuvillette wanted or needed right now.

And despite that, looking at him alongside this man, smiling and laughing, made it quite obvious that this was no longer the same Hydro Sovereign who wished to completely distance himself from humanity. Did Wriothesley really sleep through the moment things had changed...?

And if so, was the problem the fact that he actually couldn’t do anything out of righteousness, or was he just too big of a coward to do it?

All those years wasted on making excuses only to lose something he never even realized he could’ve had all along...

No, he decided, he wouldn’t throw in the towel just yet. Not until he was the last one standing in the ring.

It was time to stop playing nice.

Chapter Text

After what felt like a lifetime spent inside the Chioriya Boutique – which in reality ended up only being a little over two hours – Wriothesley, Neuvillette, and Ayato made their way to Café Lutece relatively fast. The heavy shopping bags did not weigh them down one bit in their brisk walk, yet despite that, sitting down at a quiet table underneath a massive umbrella was welcomed with relief, at least by the Duke. While no one was quite so bold to stop them in their tracks, the combination of the three of them strolling down the streets of Court de Fontaine attracted more attention than what he was prepared for. A Duke without his Fortress was like a hermit crab without its shell, he thought, although the public would not agree, suddenly raising him and his companions to the status of celebrities. Dozens of curious glances and excited whispers followed them every step of the way; even those who only recognized the revered Iudex found themselves drawn to the sight of three handsome gentlemen having an outing together with no female companions in sight.

‘Handsome’... Wasn’t it terribly vain to call himself that? He did his best to look his best, too, though in Wriothesley’s humble opinion, he was but a decently groomed mutt compared to his radiant colleagues. He wasn’t going to weep over it – it didn’t really matter. Not in his line of work. Besides, at this particular point of his life, he only had his eyes out for one and only person and getting him to talk about what he might’ve found physically attractive was a herculean task.

Pretty or not, however, at that moment it was back to feeling like a bodyguard; Ayato and Neuvillette were still deeply invested in their parenting, that is ‘training’, methods debate, while Wriothesley kicked the legs of his chair with his steel-toed boots, chewing on his own tongue. At the very least, he was self-aware enough to realize it was on him, again: he was the one acting like a grouch instead of joining the conversation, which he’d surely be warmly welcomed to. Thing was, he wasn’t especially good at multitasking whilst angry, and his thoughts were occupied by various other matters, even if the vast majority of them had to do with the two men sitting across the table.

“So, as I was saying, Monsieur Neuvillette – should any Melusine ever desire to move to Inazuma, they are welcome to join the Shuumatsuban and work alongside Sayu. In fact, I would encourage you to consider sending some Maréchaussée Phantom officers over there for training. It would be fascinating to see how the Melusines use their unique powers to serve the law, and I’m sure we’d find ways to put them to some good work in Inazuma as well.” Ayato continued after they’d made themselves fully comfortable in their seats.

“Thank you very much for the offer, though... I don’t think we should be making any such drastic decisions at this time. While I’m sure the Melusines’ abilities are versatile enough to be of use in many parts of Teyvat, and that many of them would be willing to take the trip, it’s still... how do I say it...” Neuvillette rubbed his chin as he thought, and his visible hesitation finally managed to pique Wriothesley’s attention. For maybe the first time that day, he seemed to be disagreeing with something his new friend had suggested, and it was easy to see why. Obviously, Neuvillette was very protective of the Melusines, and not without a good reason – even if they were perfectly capable of working various dangerous jobs for the Yashiro Commission, there was no telling as to how the Inazuman society would react to them. “Uhm... I-I don’t mean to sound disrespectful, Mr. Ayato, but...”

Seeing him struggle to voice his concerns to that cunning fox of a man out of nothing but his own politeness made something inside Wriothesley snap; he could no longer hold back the poison that jealous monster inside of him has been spewing out:

“The Melusines are not for humans to use, Mr. Ayato. They are not here to serve us, in fact, it is our privilege as humans to be offered their aid. Though I’m sure you were not implying anything... ill-willed.” He joined in, trying to sound as... diplomatic as possible. “They are Fontaine’s pride now, but it wasn’t always that way and unlike us, they’ve not yet been corrupted by the ugliness of this world. It’s not like they can’t stomach the bad sights of course, but they’ve grown used to being able to trust us. I’m afraid a nation without a history quite as complicated as ours is with the Melusines would be inclined to take advantage of their kindness. Not to mention, the Maréchaussée Phantom can rely on the support of the Gardes and meks here – sending them into first-hand combat is a whole another issue...”

Though delivered with grace and merit, it was a truly vicious rant. One could almost feel a sudden drop in temperature around their table, followed by a notable weakening of Ayato’s never-ending smile.

 “Naturally! I would have never tried to abuse the kindness and skills of Monsieur Neuvillette’s dear familiars. Perhaps as the head of the Yashiro Commission I’ve been excessively conditioned to perceive things in a dreadfully utilitarian manner. I didn’t mean to offend, of course. I hope you didn’t take it as such...?” He asked, looking directly at Neuvillette who’s been rather quiet up until that point.

“No, not at all... I wouldn’t have assumed so. I must agree with the Duke though; let us keep the Melusines in Fontaine for the time being.” His voice sounded strangely distant, hazy, and so were his eyes: despite addressing Ayato in his response, his attention had been fully captured by someone else.

“Phew, that’s a relief. In hindsight, I doubt they’d really want to leave, right? They seem to be living well here in Fontaine, with the two of you looking after them.” Ayato cheered up again, and even laughed right as Wriothesley asked:

“I think Arouet is heading our way to take the order... so, what’s this damn tea atrocity you wanted to feed us?”

“Ahaha, it’s not easy to get a connoisseur to change his ways now, is it? I must implore Your Grace to keep your mind open for just a few minutes. Boba tea is a true favorite of mine and I’d greatly enjoy it if more of my friends found an appreciation for it.” He sighed. “Unfortunately, I still haven’t managed to make it popular back home.”

“Can’t imagine why.” Wriothesley muttered, already feeling his stomach turn at the thought of a flour-infused tea. To be completely honest, at this point, even if it tasted like the tears of Seelies, having it be Ayato’s idea would have spoiled the beverage for him. He then added, at a more proper volume: “I consider myself to be very open-minded, my Inazuman friend, but... I also have a good taste.”

The cat-like smile wavered in confusion a second time; it seemed like it was finally dawning on him that the atmosphere wasn’t exactly as chummy as Ayato had originally thought.

This was a declaration of war – via tea, nonetheless.

“Well, I’ll gladly try a sample of it.” Neuvillette suddenly interrupted the considerably awkward staring contest the other two were having; judging by his tone, it was also meant to serve as a minor reprimand for Wriothesley’s inhospitable behavior. “Although my preferred drink of choice will always be pure water, I’m quite curious as to what new beverages people can invent by adding to it. Recently, I’ve even treated myself to a bottle of Fonta, though... I can’t say I recommend it...”

He really was branching out lately, wasn’t he? Perhaps Wriothesley was right earlier, and it was him who got stuck in one place while the world around him kept spinning – and it was becoming increasingly obvious that even this easygoing ancient dragon wasn’t going to wait another century for him.

‘Though the fool waits, the day does not...’

The thought only made him more bitter than he already was.

Once the café’s owner made his way over to their table, the three ordered their food and drinks. Wriothesley may as well have chosen to eat cardboard with how much he cared about the meal at that point, unfortunately. After much negotiation, he politely passed on Ayato’s unique tea invention that he’d talked Arouet into serving, and seethed in silence as he listened to Neuvillette sing praise to it. First of all, the damn thing was served in a heinous plastic cup; secondly, it was a vivid purple color and full of black flour balls that would’ve put Sigewinne’s wackiest ideas to shame. He couldn’t believe the same person who drank his imported spring water from a crystal glass was willing to put it in his mouth for even a second – alas, it seemed that Ayato’s sweet smiling face was more convincing than what Wriothesley had originally assumed.

He underestimated his enemy once more. If only Neuvillette wasn’t with them; if only the Duke could misbehave for just a short little moment...

Just when he thought he couldn’t be humiliated any further, something loudly knocked against their table and was followed by the clink of Ayato dropping his fork onto the plate. The man suddenly jolted up, apparently having remembered something, and reached into his... sleeve?

“Did something happen, Mr. Ayato?” Neuvillette asked.

“See, I’ve just remembered I’d brought you one more small gift from Inazuma, Monsieur Neuvillette. I must’ve put it here on the first day of my vacation and forgotten it – and here I was beginning to worry I hadn’t packed it at all!” With a satisfied huff, he then pulled out what appeared to be a palm-sized porcelain figurine of a cat. It was painted with rather gaudy colors and its smiling eyes were, at least in Wriothesley’s opinion, extremely unnerving. Its most prominent feature was the paw which bobbled back and forth as Ayato held it out to the Iudex. “Please, forgive me for presenting it so unceremoniously now. These kinds of figures are quite popular in Inazuma, and are meant to bring good luck and wealth to the owner.”

“Oh? You have my sincere thanks. Although I must admit, I am not exactly in a dire need of more Mora... dare I say, I find that being surrounded by too large of an amount might bring one bad fortune, instead...”

“Those are wise words, Monsieur.” Ayato agreed. “Excessive wealth may corrupt even the holiest of minds.”

“That is not quite what I meant. Rather, the problem is... who it originates from.” His voice lowered as the sentence went on while he examined the figurine carefully. For a moment, Wriothesley rejoiced, thinking that the obnoxious gift would end up being rejected, but was promptly disappointed. No one could deny that Neuvillette’s eyes lit up the longer he stared at the tacky thing.

Did... did he actually like those kinds of cutesy trinkets...? Wriothesley would’ve never thought so and now, he was even angrier with himself. He could’ve easily made something like this from scratch at his workshop!

Ironically, it seemed that Neuvillette’s mind was on the same wavelength:

“Would you mind if I tried to recreate this... fascinating item during my next pottery lesson? Ah, I hope you won’t find it offensive, but I can’t help but think something about its features... resembles the person gifting it...”

Wriothesley agreed; the soulless eyes and catty smile matched those of the commissioner perfectly. Considering that he’s just established that Neuvillette found it adorable though, it didn’t bode well at all.

“You think so? I can’t wait to see what you make of it, in that case. Haha!” Ayato let out another hearty laughter.

Meanwhile, Wriothesley shoved an entire Bulle Soufflé into his mouth, fighting the urge to jump over the table and stab his fork into one of those stupid eyes of his.

No. He was a duke. A gentleman. He worked hard to earn himself the status and prove to everyone that he was not the unruly brute people had once made him out to be. For that exact reason, actually doing anything beyond his petty remarks would’ve made him feel worse than inflicting any kind of harm upon his rival. Well, duh! Of course he wouldn’t hurt an innocent man! Those were just silly, uncontrollable thoughts.

It did... hurt, though.

The idea that he spent so much time denying himself something for what he believed were righteous reasons... only to watch someone else swoop in and take it with ease.

Not that Wriothesley was ever planning to actually do anything about whatever... feelings he may or may not have had. Hell, he didn’t even have a good name for them, after all those years!

It was alright. He’s grown to be very good at tolerating pain with a straight face.

Deep breaths. Repeat: Ayato. Did. Nothing. Wrong.

Well, other than putting garbage into a perfectly fine cup of tea, that is.

“Wriothesley—“ A kind and concerned voice felt like a melody, gently awakening him from a nightmare. How many times has it been, now? It was almost like he could sense him spiraling from afar. “You’ve got... May I?”

Before he was able to ask for any clarification, Neuvillette has already picked up a napkin and started wiping his mouth. It figured that he’d look like a mess after a violent binge of stress-eating, although the unexpected softness with which his fingers brushed against his lips through the thin fabric nearly made him reach for the pastries again.

Ever since Neuvillette had revealed – or confirmed, apparently – his secret identity to him, they allowed themselves to grow closer with each day, acting more and more comfortable around each other now that there were no unspoken barriers between them, at least on the surface. Touch was still something of a taboo, though. Wriothesley felt honored to have Neuvillette’s hand rest on his shoulder now and then – never before did he do something like this, however; not in private, let alone in front of a foreign diplomat!

“Mmph— Sheesh, I’m not a kid anymore, you know.” As much as he enjoyed the attention, it was pretty darn embarrassing to be fixed up by the Chief Justice himself as a grown man – and vastly inappropriate, the longer he thought about it.

“Yes... my apologies.” Neuvillette withdrew immediately, which honestly made him regret complaining. The judge tried to avoid the gaze of either companion, though his own eyes wandered around the café’s tables, fearing potential witnesses’ reactions. “It... I-It was a strange impulse. It might sound amusing to you but after so many years of living with Lady Furina I find the sight of people eating sweets somewhat... unnerving. That might be why I’m restless when I watch it. You see, the sheer amount of them she was able to consume haunts me to this day, which is why I typically avoid eating any desserts myself. Today is a special occasion, however.”

“I suppose Fontainian sweets are just that irresistible, huh? I’ve become a big fan over the past few days. They’re much sweeter than those in Inazuma, which provides a sense of satisfaction, but also lighter than the ones from other nations I’ve tried. Better not overdo it, though... moderation is key.” Ayato very responsibly stated, only to instantly take another eager bite of his crepes.

“I’m unsure of how indicative this ‘boba tea’ is of other Inazuman desserts and beverages, but I find it quite interesting, too.” Neuvillette picked up his cup of war crimes again, then turned to Wriothesley. “Are you sure you don’t want to at least try it? You may have some of mine. It’s obviously very different to the tea we’re used to, but the texture is surprisingly pleasant.”

Wriothesley stared at the straw in front of him, taking his time to carefully think over his next step. For a man to choose between his honor and his heart was a monumental decision, after all.

Truth be told, he felt a bit guilty for thinking so harshly of Ayato; even if he did annoy him, he couldn’t exactly arrest the man for being his friend’s friend. As such, in some way, he wished to make symbolic amends with him. He didn’t want to make himself look any worse than he already did. Strategically speaking, it would not help his case even if he did sucker punch Ayato into the orbit. No, he wanted to stay... good. As good as it was possible, anyway. For himself, but also for the one who had sent him to prison, which ended up saving him from a life in the streets or worse – House of the Hearth.

And... surely the aftertaste of those delicate lips that were wrapped around the straw just a moment earlier would be sweet enough to overpower the horrid contents of the cup, he finally convinced himself.

He let out a deep sigh, which sounded eerily similar to what Sigewinne would hear whenever she abused the weakness Wriothesley had for Melusines to force him to drink one of her concoctions, and leaned in to take a sip.

To his left, he heard Ayato gasp quietly in surprise, though he couldn’t know whether it was caused by his sudden ‘open-mindedness’ or some other reason.

Open-minded he was, and decided last minute to keep his prejudice at bay before he actually sampled the drink. Unfortunately, he quickly discovered that it was about as unpleasant as he had expected. The first flavor that hit him was the bitterness of a strong, black tea mixed with milk in what must’ve been a truly abysmal ratio. Then came the nauseating sweetness of sugar, as well some other exotic ingredient he’s never tried before, but although it was just as sweet, it was far from the meringues and custards he had grown to enjoy in Fontaine. Finally, the chewy, sticky black balls hit the back of his throat, causing him to choke. The sensation made him imagine he’d just swallowed a mouthful of fish eggs, and by that point, he had to actively force himself to keep the boba tea down.

He shuddered. He gagged. His eyes began to water. His life flashed before his eyes, and he could’ve sworn he caught a glimpse of the true face of the Heavenly Principles.

But what a terrible life record it’s been – the first half full of hardships, the second cushy and boring, spent locked up in a guarded fortress and using trust issues as an excuse for not chasing his dreams...

“Wriothesley, are you alright?”

“I can only assume the tea has left a... deep impression on him.” Ayato ever-so-wisely observed. “It’s fine, Your Grace mustn’t force himself to like it out of pity. I can’t say I’m not used to these types of reactions whenever I suggest new recipes to my housekeeper or the local vendors...”

Wriothesley finished swallowing the contents of his mouth, took a deep breath, then smiled:

“I’ve expected worse. Alas, you must forgive me Mr. Ayato, I don’t think I’ll be having any more of it... ever. I take my tea black and pure, with no additives. Preferably sourced from Sumeru or Liyue.”

“That’s perfectly understandable. Although, to be honest, I’m a bit saddened. I’ve heard so much about Your Grace loving all things tea I was excited to meet a kindred soul.”

What a load of bullshit it was, Wriothesley thought; bootlicking just for the sake of it. Didn’t he already have Neuvillette? Not only did they get along like two peas in a pod, his Melusine cuisine hardened palate was indifferent to Ayato’s own culinary atrocities.

Right as he was about to point it out, he heard Neuvillette mutter to himself: “Is it really that bad...?” after which he took another sip out of his cup – except this time, he also gagged, and quickly covered his mouth with his hand, eyes wide.

“I’m afraid that might be a tall order.” He eventually replied. “It looks like even our Monsieur Neuvillette has already... acquired a distaste for it.”

“Oh?” Ayato also seemed surprised by such a turn of events and leaned over the table to face Neuvillette. “Did something happen, my friend? You... appeared to be fond of the drink only a moment ago.”

Neuvillette didn’t respond verbally, but violently shook his head and closed his eyes, indicating he needed more time to compose himself. Alright then.

What wasn’t alright was hearing Ayato return the Iudex’s prior sentiment in calling him his ‘friend’ so confidently when Wriothesley couldn’t enjoy the same treatment. It has once again struck a chord, making the latter question just how aware his Inazuman rival was of the game they were playing. If he was innocent after all, then he deserved a gold medal for being exceptionally obnoxious.

“Say, Mr. Ayato... how much did you learn about me before coming here, I wonder? And... how? You should know by now that I try to keep my secrets close to my chest – to think they have so easily reached a distant land is kinda worrying. I’ve got a reputation of an elusive Duke from the murky depths to uphold.” He asked, putting on a fitting smirk, though each time it became harder to do so. “It feels like you know much more about me than I do about you. It’s like we’re fighting on uneven ground here.”

“Fighting? Oh, dear goodness, that’s not the intention.” The wide-eyed surprise seemed genuine, and while it was more believable now that Ayato appeared to have noticed the tension, Wriothesley was too old to fall for it right off the bat. “When it comes to your profession, I don’t know much beyond what I’d already told Your Grace back at the boutique. Most of it is readily available information. As for the rest of it, well... Monsieur Neuvillette and I have been exchanging many letters over the course of this year, some of which were of deeply personal nature. Isn’t that right?”

He turned towards Neuvillette to validate his claims, though oddly enough, the Iudex did not seem very keen on joining the conversation, and did so reluctantly:

“Indeed. Though I’d rather you didn’t disclose the details of those here... I-In a public place, that is.” He said, turning his gaze away as he finished his boba cup. The loud slurping only made the scene more uncomfortable.

Or maybe that was just the sound of Wriothesley’s blood boiling. Oh, there it was, alright. ‘Deeply personal’. More personal than his own relationship with Neuvillette, perhaps? Neuvillette was not exactly someone with enough self-awareness to feel embarrassed over petty interpersonal things. Other than his identity as the Hydro Sovereign, this... this might’ve been the first time he was trying to hide something from him. And so blatantly, too!

Like a slap to the face.

“And those... personal letters discussed me of all people?” He asked again, now through gritted teeth.

“At length.” The commissioner’s voice was almost oozing with self-satisfaction, and so was his little grin. “But you needn’t worry – the vast majority of it was praise. For instance, I heard that Your Grace is a formidable fighter in the boxing ring, is that correct? I simply can’t contain my curiosity about it. Boxing is not very popular in Inazuma, so that might be why Your Grace is not... exactly what I would imagine when picturing a boxer.”

That statement sounded awfully reminiscent of the words he said during their first meeting, saying that Wriothesley did not meet his expectations. Just what exactly did Neuvillette tell him about him...? Was Ayato picturing some burly giant? Or was it just an elaborate rich boy way of calling him a wimp?

Well, he could simply ask him about it, he thought.

“Huh. What did you imagine, then?”

“The boxers I’ve met were... rugged and scarred, always carrying the weight of their previous defeats with them. Missing teeth and broken bones. Even a champion couldn’t have gotten where he was without overcoming hundreds of obstacles, no? It’s true that Your Grace is also not without his own scars...” He started, seemingly unaware of the great faux pas he’d committed; to think he had the nerve to bring up Wriothesley’s body like this! Those were no warrior’s scars, nor were they intended to be shown off at pubs. Both Wriothesley and Neuvillette stared at him with mouths agape, mortified as he unabashedly continued: “...but in reality, your overall constitution is much more akin to the handsome and gentle Duke I’ve been hearing so much about. I can’t say I’m disappointed. Naturally, it’s all the more impressive that someone with such noble features could master a discipline as wild and untamed as boxing.”

Wriothesley cleared his throat, unsure how to feel about that entire rant. It was a rollercoaster of insults and compliments both. One could say the Inazuman had redeemed himself by the end of it, but if they were anything alike, excessive flattery was merely a method to pull especially soft and fluffy wool over someone’s eyes.

And there was that word again – ‘handsome’ – where did he even get it from?

“You know what they say, Mr. Ayato. There are plenty of benefits to being unassuming. Makes it easier to lull your opponent into a false sense of security. That’s how they get shot down – right when they start flying too close to the sun.”

“Certainly.” The other chuckled and he could’ve sworn there was a devilish sparkle in his eyes for a second. “I do hope you’ll invite me to watch one of your matches someday. What I’d seen of Your Grace’s physique back at the shop was already nothing short of impressive. The life of a commissioner gets dull and overly sanitized at times. I think I would find it greatly thrilling... to witness such a raw display of power.”

“Really? Have you ever been to a match before? It can get quite... nasty. Blood and drool flying about... sometimes teeth...”

“It might be brutal, but it cannot be denied that it is exactly that quality which makes it feel so genuine. In the ring, it is only you and your opponent; no weapons, nothing else to rely on but the endurance of your own body.” Ayato formed a bridge out of his fingers and rested his chin on it. His eyes fell shut as he seemed to have drifted into a daydream. “Fist to fist, skin to skin... the bodies of brawlers burning up with a vicious heat as blood, sweat, and tears trickle down every bruise and scratch tarnishing the well-trained form – yes, from the perspective of an onlooker, it all sounds extremely appealing.”

The longer he listened, the more Wriothesley believed this man has never actually been to a boxing match before and has in fact based his entire knowledge of the sport on the kinds of magazines he’d once caught his female employees smuggling in, corrupting the innocent minds of the Melusines with them. Of course, those got promptly banned.

He coughed a few times, squirming in his chair, trying to make his discomfort as obvious as possible, though by now he’s learned Ayato was not exactly the kind of guy who let his tastes or behavior be easily swayed.

What was that man’s goal, anyway? It was getting more and more confusing. Was he trying to suck up to him or humiliate him in front of Neuvillette...? It was hard to tell. Or maybe confusing him was the original goal. If so, he’s fallen for it.

Wriothesley was fucking flabbergasted.

“W-Well... it is a show to behold. But I must disappoint you. Keep in mind the Pankration Ring is located within a prison. No offense, but we don’t really like fancy visitors like yourself being there. It puts the inmates on edge, and the particularly stupid ones get stupid ideas. The atmosphere during the matches gets a hundred times more heated than usual. Even Neuvillette has been banned from coming over to our tournaments.”

“Oh...” Ayato’s giddy expression disappeared like a chalk drawing getting washed up by the rain. “Is there nothing I can do to change your mind...? I’m always in the market for a good show...” Despite Wriothesley’s shaking head, he kept prying: “Hmm, and what if I requested for Your Grace to spar with me in private? I do not know much about boxing, but I’ve completed martial arts training. Surely it must count for something.”

To spar with him...? In the ring? Well, finally, he was speaking in a language Wriothesley could understand. As confusing as this entire exchange was, he still hasn’t forgotten the reason he disliked that meddling lover boy in the first place. He didn’t even need to ask permission – if he saw him put his hands on Neuvillette one more time, his hands would fly towards that catty face all on their own!

His heart began beating faster with excitement at the very thought, momentarily abandoning his resolve to behave.

“You think you’ve got what it takes? Hah! Here you are calling me out, but you could hardly call yourself a featherweight. I’d feel bad turning your pretty face all black and blue... Mr. Ayato.”

But Ayato was like an unwavering flame; he was beginning to think he was some flavor of deranged, judging by his enthusiasm to get his butt kicked.

“Haha, if Your Grace hasn’t guessed it from my culinary preferences, I never say no to new experiences, as long as they’re guaranteed to satisfy me.”

“Tsk, don’t set your expectations too high. At the end of the day it’s just two dudes beating each other’s mugs up. Real life might be more boring than you think.”

“Do you ever get bored of it, Your Grace?”

“I don’t mind fighting.” He admitted, taking a sip of his perfectly normal black tea to nourish his parched mouth. If anything, it was too much chattering that tended to bore him more. “Though only as long as there’s something worth fighting for.”

Or someone, in this case.

“And... what would that ‘something’ be for you?” Ayato asked, as if he could read his mind. Eerie.

However, before Wriothesley could think of a convincing enough lie, their weirdly tense back-and-forth was disrupted by Neuvillette who finally decided to break his silence:

“I’m afraid it is as Wriothesley has said. Boxing is largely seen as a part of Fontaine’s underground culture, in particular the kind that takes place in the Pankration Ring. It allows the inmates to let out excess energy and better cope with their sentence. I believe many of them would find it offensive if they became a source of entertainment for the upper class, which is why, out of respect for that tradition, I’ve always strayed from watching the matches myself. A servant of law is never the most welcome guest there, anyway.” He spoke fast, matter-of-factly, wearing the same politely neutral expression as usual. Yet, Wriothesley couldn’t help but detect some... cracks in this façade. It felt far from the Neuvillette he was used to, the one whose mannerisms he’d precisely engraved within his mind. That is to say, though he tried not to let it show, the Iudex sounded... irritated. “As for your sparring aspirations, your martial background is news to me, Mr. Ayato...? Either way, I would not underestimate His Grace’s strength and ability. Such frivolous attempts could result in serious injury – for both of you, might I add.”

While he spoke, Neuvillette gesticulated mildly, pointing between his addressees as he explained. There was hardly anything extraordinary about it, until all of the sudden, he decided to rest his hands back on the table, with one of them landing exactly on top of Wriothesley’s own hand, and not an inch further.

It gave him a minor scare, though he wouldn’t show it, either. After all, Neuvillette has been occupying his thoughts that entire day, and to suddenly have him so close was... Anyway, it must’ve been nothing more than an accident, since the other did nothing to mention it, nor did he even send him a single meaningful look. And so, Wriothesley sat there still, waiting for the hand to be removed but... a full minute has passed, and it didn’t budge.

In fact, he could’ve sworn its grip tightened somewhat.

At which point, his brain short-circuited like a poorly crafted Gardemek. His body was wide awake, but mentally and emotionally, the Duke of Meropide has blacked out.

Meanwhile, Ayato tilted his head to the side, smiling even wider than usual. “Such a pity. It seems like the two of us cannot allow ourselves to get even a little bit naughty under the watchful eye of justice. Heh, as always, Monsieur Neuvillette’s dedication is commendable.”

The man in question was staring at Ayato so directly, even he couldn’t help but freeze up under the intensity of the glare.

“Well, that depends solely on what exactly do you wish to convey by the term... ‘naughty’.”

Although he still wasn’t completely over his shock, much as the hand hasn’t been removed from his, Wriothesley decided to lighten up the atmosphere – it was as good of a distraction as any:

“Awh, don’t be like that, Neuvillette. I know how to control my strength. It’s just an amicable sparring. I wouldn’t totally wreck your friend.”

Even so, he wouldn’t say no to knocking a couple of teeth off his stupid smile.

Neuvillette turned to him so abruptly, a few long strands of hair whipped against Wriothesley’s shoulder and neck. That also was a bit startling. He... sure was energetic at his big age.

“Are you sure about that? Few of the opponents you’ve faced in the past were Vision users. You cannot simply avoid using your true strength entirely.” He noted, and Wriothesley’s eyes swerved towards their guest again. Of course, he had noticed the shining Hydro vision dangling off his side earlier, but to be honest, the only impression it’d made on him was adding into the already overflowing pot of bile – because obviously he was more compatible with the Hydro Sovereign’s beloved element than he was. On the other hand, Wriothesley had been blessed by the goddess of Fatui crooks and criminals.

“Eh, I’ve fought a couple before. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Really? How... odd. And yet, you’ve always refused to spar with me.” Neuvillette suddenly countered; his expression was still one of someone who leisurely spoke about the weather, but the quiet huff he finished his sentence with was rather telling.

The situation was starting to feel absurd. That whole day was, honestly.

Wriothesley must’ve finally reached his personal inner limit of absurd, and ended up simply laughing:

“Bahaha! You... don’t you think you’re slightly out of my league, Neuvillette?”

He really was. In several different ways, none of which made Wriothesley particularly happy. The realization wiped the grin off his face pretty quickly.

“I-I can take you on! I’ve expressed my readiness multiple times in the past...” Neuvillette protested, with an eerily determined spark in his eyes, nonetheless. Seriously, what has gotten into him now? Was the amount of sugar in that awful tea too overwhelming for the ancient dragon’s system to handle, or...

“You— You? That’s not what I meant, and you know it! I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to handle your power, Chief Justice.” He added the title in the last moment, hoping it wouldn’t tick off Ayato’s curiosity too much, although knowing his type, he probably had his suspicions already.

Unsurprisingly, Neuvillette seemed to have taken his concerns a tad too literally. His raised brows came down in a frown, and the hand that has been unwittingly squeezing Wriothesley’s for a while now moved onto his arm.

“Your body appears to be... sufficiently sturdy. I doubt I would have to hold back very much.”

He was flattered – even more so having someone who meant so much to him shamelessly grope his bicep as he complimented him – but he was also grounded enough to know that it simply wasn’t the truth. For whatever reason, Neuvillette’s idea of his strength far surpassed reality.

The more he thought about it, the more Wriothesley felt his cheeks grow hot; for his own safety, it was best to end this bizarre farce:

“Well, it doesn’t matter, either way. I don’t want to fight you. Ever.”

But although it was a declaration of pure affection coming from a serial troublemaker like Wriothesley, the other chose to take offense to it. Perhaps the distant Vishap genes had clouded the Iudex’s thinking – it was the only reasonable explanation for his behavior, anyway.

“W-Why not?”

He’d never seen him so fired up before. Not that it wasn’t mind-numbingly adorable, but a bit strange, nonetheless.

As such, Wriothesley’s own shrewd side that’s been so stifled by that day’s negative emotions could no longer resist leaning in a little closer to go:

“I made myself clear earlier, didn’t I? I don’t fight pretty boys, even if they’re on the more mature side.”

And topped it off with a wink.

The remark seemed to have gotten the Iudex to be quiet, but at that point, it was hard to tell whether it was a good thing. The younger man’s boldness rendered him stunned.

Wriothesley turned his gaze towards Ayato instead, who also hasn’t been saying much. A shiver went down his spine upon realizing that he’s been staring at them intently the entire time, not breaking eye contact even when eating or drinking through his straw. Based off the expression, their bickering must’ve been prime time entertainment to him. After their eyes met, he finally decided to say something:

“Heh, I wasn’t aware Fontainians were so passionate about... fighting – maybe I should’ve known better, considering your dueling traditions. It seems that rather than a kimono, a samurai armor would’ve come more in handy.”

“T-To be fair, the kimonos you have bought us are beautiful and intricate garments,” Neuvillette said once he’s regained his voice, “But I must admit, I’m not sure I’ll ever have an occasion to wear mine here.”

“Well, I don’t see a problem with that! Simply come over to Inazuma and you’ll have plenty of excuses to wear it. Truth be told, part of why I chose to gift the two of you these clothes is to extend an official invitation. It’s about time you visited me in return after I’ve been to Fontaine twice.”

“Indeed, I would love to return the sentiment. I only wish it was easier for me to travel with all the work there is to do, and beyond that, there is the matter of the Raiden Shogun...” He hesitated, likely regretting mentioning an additional reason in the first place, but managed to slowly navigate around an excuse, “Of course I’ve heard that the Sakoku Decree has ended, but I don’t believe she is very keen on accepting foreign visitors nevertheless.”

“Really? I’ve heard of no such thing.” Ayato’s eyes widened, though his expression was that of someone who wasn’t easily fooled. Similarly, it seemed that it was not easy to escape his sticky hold once he’s set his mind on something – especially if that thing was you. “In fact, the Shogun has not made that many executive decisions ever since withdrawing the decree, and has only expressed her support in opening up Inazuma’s trade routes. That included the flow of both merchants and tourists. You don’t need to make it an official diplomatic visit if you don’t want to, Monsieur Neuvillette. Besides, being an honored guest of the Yashiro Commission should spare you any additional trouble in most cases.”

Something was telling Wriothesley that if Ayato seriously wanted to host Neuvillette at his house, he would personally pick him up and carry him there on foot if he needed to. This was not the type of guy you could oppose. Even if one were to dodge the pitfalls of his cunning personality, they’d still have to combat his wealth and eventually, his wide net of spies.

How wonderful, he thought to himself. Even if he wasn’t a small fry, being a Duke and all, he was still a duke of a single prison and nothing more. He would gladly step aside as Neuvillette embarked on a journey to the Land of Eternity and found himself fully enamored with not only the charms of its environment and culture, but also his lovely host. Maybe he’ll even decide to spend an Eternity by Ayato’s side! After all, he must’ve been bored of Fontaine after being stuck with its Archon for four hundred-something years. Blessed be the day, the Yashiro Commission won’t have to wait for their leader to marry for much longer!

Damn, the bile really was overflowing. It was about to pour of his eyes and ears at this rate. Wriothesley glared at his unfinished food and tea as if they were the ones at fault for his cowardice and helplessness, and decided not to take a single bite more.

“Is that so...? Hm, the offer does sound rather tempting, I must admit. I’ve long wanted to visit Watatsumi Island in particular. In the past, I’ve had some, err... distant relatives and friends in that area, most of whom have unfortunately passed away by now. I would like to visit their final resting place. I also find myself fascinated by the ruins in Enkanomiya.”

“Watatsumi Island...? Huh. I would’ve never guessed.” Ayato said, and from his tone it was very obvious that he carefully added this piece of information into his vast collection of intel. “As it happens, its administration is somewhat independent of the Shogun’s authority, so I’m more certain than ever that the High Priestess will be happy to host you.”

“That’s good to hear.” Neuvillette nodded and turned to Wriothesley, yet again snapping him out of a session of pitiful and unjustified self-wallowing. “Have I ever told you about Enkanomiya? It’s a city hidden deep beneath the ocean, full of ancient ruins with a compelling history. In some aspects, it’s quite similar to Remuria. I know it’s not exactly the same thing, but I think it’d be just as enjoyable to explore it together.”

Wriothesley opened his mouth, but quickly closed it in a desperate way to keep his usual composure. First of all: was he still hung up over that Remuria thing they’d talked about earlier...? Well, to be fair, so was Wriothesley, but he didn’t want Neuvillette to feel guilty about it! And secondly...

“You’d like to go there... with me?”

It was now Neuvillette who seemed shocked by his response.

“Naturally! You, and maybe Sigewinne if we can find enough employees to substitute for us at work. Taking vacation alone was never in question. I think I’d find myself very lost very quickly.” His face lit up with a smile so radiant, Wriothesley felt like not just his eyes, but all of his senses have been temporarily blinded – and then, he added: “It is as I said. You are essential to my enjoyment.”

If words alone could have a purifying power, then those must’ve been an immensely powerful spell – as well as a much needed reminder that no matter how many people the Hydro dragon liked, there was always enough space in his heart for this one, flawed human.

If only he could be satisfied with that alone, instead of trying to take away other people’s opportunities to do what he couldn’t bring himself to do.

After the trio was done with their lunch, a most important question arose: what now? It was late afternoon and most shops and stalls were beginning to close down, leaving them with few options.

It was then that Ayato once again expressed his desire to see a live performance at the Opera Épiclèse; since most of them took place in the evening it was a decent idea on paper. Alas, most anticipated plays and operas would’ve been sold out weeks, if not months before the premiere – it was foolish of the tourist to assume he could just strut in on the opening night and demand to be seated.

At least, that would be the case for someone who couldn’t call himself the Iudex’s close friend.

Neuvillette was more than happy, feeling a bit smug even, to be able to hook his friends up with premium seating by simply showing his famous face at his workplace. There were no doubts that he’d succeed at the task, nor any voices of protest, and as such, they headed back in the direction of the aquabus station.

Wriothesley chose to continue tagging along as long as nobody told him to piss off. It’s been a while since he’s gone to the opera, and he’s already taken the day off, while Sigewinne’s birthday gift had been secured. On top of that, whether he wanted it or not, his fastest way home led through the tunnel behind the opera house, anyway.

As they walked, it was hard to deny that the perhaps slightly too open of a conversation they had at lunch changed the air around them in ways that could not be undone anymore. Ayato and Neuvillette were no longer merrily babbling, now silently enjoying the sounds of the street as the latter walked closer to Wriothesley this time around.

It was hard to tell what could’ve been going on in the commissioner’s confusing, cunning head, but it seemed that he wasn’t coping well with the awkward silence, unlike his two companions who were so used to each other’s company that they could easily spend hours fishing side by side without saying a word. Either way, he made a timid attempt at livening things up:

“Would you look at the sky, my friends... I don’t like the look of these dark clouds, to be honest. I hope we won’t be caught in the middle of a rain before we can make it to the opera. Afterwards, I don’t mind looking like a sopping wet dog, heh.”

The Duke looked up; the previously clear sky has indeed taken on a murky gray hue, and he too didn’t like the look of it, though for a different reason.

After he’s made sure Ayato was properly distracted with a nearby shop’s window display, he leaned towards Neuvillette:

“Are you feeling alright?”

“What? Of course, I... Oh! You mean these clouds?” Surprised with his concern, he also looked up. “I don’t believe these conditions are my own doing.”

“You sure? If someone’s said something to upset you—“

“Yes. It’s not like every single rain in Fontaine is caused by my emotional state. We’d long have perished if that was true. This one’s all on nature.” Neuvillette seemed genuine, amused, even. Wriothesley finally decided to drop it, as there were no reasons not to believe his words. “Thank you for your concern, though. It is very kind of you to think of me.”

If that was the case then Wriothesley was officially the kindest man in the whole wide world.

“Don’t you worry, Mr. Ayato. Even if the rain does catch up to us, I always have an umbrella on me, stored safe and sound with the small help of my Vision.” Wriothesley added, louder, in order to make his hush-hush exchange with Neuvillette look less suspicious.

“What remarkable resourcefulness from the Duke! I should consider doing that, too.” He said, looking over his shoulder. “Sadly, just one will hardly save our sorry situation. It’s not like the three of us can huddle under it together. It would be very much... indecent to be seen like this in public.”

Before the resourceful Duke could express his surprise at that particular choice of words, it was Neuvillette who took them straight out of his mouth, adding some happy little details while at it:

“Indecent...? Whatever do you mean, Mr. Ayato? It might be somewhat difficult for three people to stand underneath it, but I don’t believe anyone would find it inappropriate in any way. For instance, Wriothesley and I frequently share his umbrella whenever we stroll around the city or the Erinnyes Forest on rainy days... u-umm...” He lowered his voice as he continued, and Wriothesley could’ve sworn he seemed slightly embarrassed. Question was, was he embarrassed for a good reason or was he ashamed of spending time with him in front of his new friend...? No, he would never, right? Right...?

What a strange feeling this ‘jealousy’ thing was. It was as if it’s taken away his clarity of thought and ability to reason. That whole day, he couldn’t help second-guessing everything, and spinning even the most positive news into doomsday scenarios. He’s never felt anything remotely similar before and frankly, by that point, it was starting to overwhelm him. It wasn’t often that he simply had... no damn idea how to deal with something.

“Well, I suppose, but that’d only make sense if you’re... Oh.”

All of the sudden, Ayato stopped, in the middle of the sidewalk nonetheless. Lost in his miserable wonderings, Wriothesley didn’t notice him fast enough and bumped right into him, narrowly avoiding a fall; then, to complete this jolly train, Neuvillette rammed face-first into his back, surely getting a mouthful of fur from his coat.

Splendid.

“W-What the—“

Ayato quickly turned around, his face pale and eyes bulging as if he’s just seen a ghost or a god, one of the two. At the same time, he didn’t seem to be very much bothered by the traffic jam he’s caused.

“M-My... my sincerest apologies, friends. It would appear that I had missed something in my correspondence with Monsieur Neuvillette... or, perhaps it was obvious, and I was the clueless one?” He blinked, then laughed a very nervous laugh, fixing his hair for apparently no reason. It was the first time he fully lost his composure and got caught off guard. “Hahaha, I suppose it was, the two of you are clearly close, even sharing drinks and umbrellas together. I should’ve put these facts together sooner, but it somehow didn’t occur to me that the two of you are a couple! I hope I didn’t accidentally say anything offensive throughout the da—“

“WHOAH THERE, HOLD UP!” Wriothesley yelled, flailing his hands in front of the Inazuman’s face. “A couple?! A couple of what?! F-Friends, if anything... Nothing more!” It was both hard and unpleasant to get these words out of his mouth, but no matter how much he wished they weren’t true, it had to be done. It would hardly be a nation of Justice if they didn’t value truth also.

His heartbeat skyrocketed in merely a few seconds – he hasn’t felt such blind panic even when his Fortress was about to be consumed by the Primordial Water.

“O... Oh...?” To be fair, Ayato was no less stunned.

“H-He is right. It seems like now is the time you are mistaken, Mr. Ayato...” Slowly, a quiet voice of the Iudex emerged from behind Wriothesley’s back. “Our relationship is indeed... close, but it is not currently of that nature...”

Currently? What the hell was that supposed to mean?!

Wriothesley turned to take a peek at him, and was shocked to see that his usually stoic companion was... blushing. As pink as a Rainbow Rose, in fact. He’d seen him embarrassed before, but nothing to this level.

Gods, this was a bloody disaster. Things may have just gotten so awkward it’d put Neuvillette off interacting with him for the remaining part of this century!

“S-Shogun have mercy... I’m terribly sorry!” Finally understanding the gravity of his mistake, Ayato began to bow his head to them. “It’s a gaffe after gaffe with me today... I really apologize for making such brash assumptions, and voicing them, nonetheless. I hope you can forgive me.”

“There’s nothing to worry about.” Neuvillette mumbled, very much unlike his usual outspoken self. “Your implication was not offensive, it was simply... mistaken.”

Now, what the hell did that mean?!

Wriothesley was truly at his wits’ end. He took a large step back from the others and joined in on the explanations party:

“I-I... I agree, there’s nothing to get up in the arms about. We are good friends after all...” Every time he said those words, he wanted to end his life more and more. His eye twitched. “But I don’t understand... where the hell did you get that from? We were just talking about umbrellas.”

“Right. I owe both of you an explanation, too.” Ayato finally stopped bowing and put a hand on his heart, instead. “I got carried away and forgot I'm no longer in Inazuma. You see, in my nation, sharing an umbrella is seen as a deeply romantic gesture. Especially in wintertime it’s not uncommon to see young lovers strolling around Hanamizaka this way, undaunted by snow or rain. It’s so popular in fact, that people who are lovesick will draw or carve their and their sweetheart’s names underneath a simple umbrella to express their yearning. But, alas, we are not in Inazuma right now.” He put his usual laid-back smile back on and turned around, ready to continue their walk. “If anything, the fact that Fontainians are unafraid to do so with their friends is quite heartwarming.”

Hearing this interesting piece of cultural trivia, Wriothesley made a mental note that if he and Neuvillette were to ever actually visit the nation together, they should do so in winter, perhaps somewhere between their respective birthdays. Although sharing an umbrella more often than not meant that Neuvillette was having a terrible day, he always found their joint walks comforting, and he wanted to believe this feeling was mutual. He wouldn’t mind doing it again in a foreign land, only with everyone around them assuming the two of them were more than what they really were...

He sighed. There really was no hope for him. There was no point in denying it, either. ‘Lovesick’ might have been right. Maybe he should start doodling umbrellas on his work documents, too.

He shook his head and with it, got rid of all those bothersome feelings, then started to follow Ayato. Since the atmosphere still wasn’t too much unlike that inside a morgue, he thought of cracking another joke:

“Still, for you to so quickly jump to such an... asinine conclusion... Haha, just what the heck did you tell him about us in those letters huh, Neuvillette? Must’ve been spicy, yeowch.”

To his utter horror rather than laughing, or at the very least smiling, Neuvillette stared down at his feet; if his face was pink before, it was now red as freshly spilled blood. He looked as if he were about to start spouting steam out of his pointed ears.

“N-Nothing but the truth.” He muttered grimly.

He was no longer walking as closely to him as before.

...

That day really could not get any worse, could it?

Wriothesley cursed under his breath, hoping the others didn’t hear him, but not exactly caring whether they did or not.

Ayato, for one, looked pretty darn happy with himself, despite the disaster he’s just brought upon them.

Or maybe he was just celebrating the revelation that the big, imposing, boxer-champion Duke was actually a wimpy piece of shit who couldn’t bring himself to say three extremely simple words and thus was throwing their little ‘game’ with a walkover.

Woohoo! The Chief Justice of Fontaine was single! It was time to pull out the big guns!

Maybe that was why Ayato brought the whole thing up in the first place – to find out what exactly he was getting into. He wasn’t stupid, and he most definitely wasn’t ‘oblivious’. Everything he said was perfectly calculated. He wouldn’t just carelessly drop such a bomb on his new friends, risking worsening their relationship. That loudly stated assumption must’ve had a clear purpose, but what was it...?

...

He was pathetic. Wriothesley was absolutely pathetic. All those vengeful thoughts and scheming, all those big words he would picture in his head, only for him to do nothing, still.

Worse yet, unless he was imagining things... it seemed like Neuvillette wasn’t necessarily disgusted by the idea of them being a devoted, umbrella-sharing couple. The what-ifs were now haunting him: because what if he didn’t immediately deny...? What if he did confirm they were romantic interests? Would that finally scare Ayato off for good? Would Neuvillette himself rush to clear up the misunderstanding as fast as he did...?

He continuously fed himself assumptions of what Neuvillette would say or do if he were to admit his true feelings to him, but what if all of them were just as wrong as Ayato’s? Him and Neuvillette never talked about romance. The concept was as foreign as it could be to both of them, to be honest. He couldn’t have known what exactly his stance was...

Or, was he getting his hopes up in vain...?

He felt like he was about to drive himself insane before the end of that dreadful day. In the past, he thought the portrayals of lovers’ jealousy he’d seen in books or plays were greatly exaggerated and needlessly dramatic, but having felt its effects on his own skin, he wished for nothing more but to finally expel that ‘monster’ from his system.

Even if it were by tearing out his heart and putting it on a plate, raw and vulnerable.

Chapter Text

“By all means, do let me know if I’m overstepping again... I’m sure it would be wiser of me to put this topic to rest after the unfortunate incident I’ve just caused, but I’m afraid my curiosity can only be thwarted by your own word of protest, Monsieur Neuvillette.” Ayato asked while the three of them rode the elevator to the aquabus station, apparently with no shame left to spare despite the chaos he’s been stirring that entire day. “Incidentally, are you single? Between your letters and our most recent misunderstanding I find myself a bit... confused. To quote the Duke’s words, it’s difficult to believe that a fine gentleman like yourself would struggle to find himself a better half. Although... having said that, the yokai I’ve met in Inazuma don’t seem very interested in such commitments either. Is that an approach all long-lived beings have? Perhaps regular humans’ lives are just too fleeting... Yes, I can see how that could be quite upsetting.”

Wriothesley inhaled sharply, instantly turning his head towards the two. It was hard to enjoy anything about these shameless questions, par for the fact that unlike him, the Inazuman actually had the guts to ask them. He, for one, would rather get his fingers chopped off than openly inquire about Neuvillette’s views on relationships. Well, unless he’d poured about five glasses of firewater down his gullet first. Besides, he knew him well enough to get the gist, or so he thought. Based on that, he could only assume that they were similar... but also fundamentally different. Himself, he was never actively looking for love – he just... kinda fell into it. Tumbled, rather. In the past, he’d tried to get some answers by jokingly teasing Neuvillette, but each attempt had flown over his head. In the rare moments when it felt like he was picking up what he was putting down, the words of the ancient dragon were still too cryptic and ambiguous to make sense of.

This time was hardly any different:

“If we are to go by the definition stated within the pages of Fontaine’s civic law codex, then I suppose I am indeed unmarried; however, must that be necessarily synonymous with a complete lack of commitment?” He was not so much asking Ayato, but wondering to himself, staring blankly at the elevator’s door as if he were silently counting seconds until it opened. Conveniently, he managed to dodge every single question his guest had brought up. As annoying as it was, Wriothesley had to admit it was sort of impressive.  Or maybe the Iudex has just been spending too much of his time with the shrewd Duke, unknowingly adopting many of his bad habits.

Still, unless Neuvillette was hiding a secret lover under his office desk or something, it made no sense why he couldn’t simply confirm his status to Ayato, who also seemed perplexed by this non-answer. To Wriothesley’s knowledge, there was no one in his life that he could consider himself be ‘committed’ to, unless they were to include the Melusines.

Strange, and... somewhat upsetting, actually.

When the three came out onto the station, they were lucky enough to find the right aquabus already waiting for them, empty and ready to go. The lack of witnesses seemed to have emboldened Ayato even further, making him suddenly jump in front of Neuvillette and bow, extending his hand:

“Friend, I recall your coat causing some minor inconveniences during our last boarding. Allow me to help.”

Though he was speaking to the judge, his eyes, peeking from behind the aforementioned coat, have found their way to meet Wriothesley’s.

That smug little spark he had in them... could that really have been just an accidental glance? Or...

...

Was Wriothesley’s usually infallible gut feeling right this time, after all? Was this also a part of Ayato’s long and elaborate game he’s been consciously playing all along...?

Momentarily, his heart sank; and then, he was overcome with rage he hasn’t felt in a long, long time.

Good thing he has since learned to control it.

“Oh...? Thank you, I suppose.” Surprised, but pleasantly so, Neuvillette took the hand he was offered and let the other help him onto the aquabus. As he climbed the stairs to board the wobbling boat, the commissioner’s other hand invited itself onto his waist under the guise of letting him regain balance and finally, giving him the last small push.

When Neuvillette proceeded to pick the right place to sit, Ayato readied himself to board the bus next; tragically, he failed to notice a large, black boot materializing itself under his feet moments before taking a step.

THUMP!

In a turn of events unexpected even by their main perpetrator who had only intended to make the puffed-up nobleman look just a tad dumber in front of the Chief Justice, Ayato tripped and collapsed fully, falling like a log onto the aquabus’ hard floor and hitting his head against the seats on his way down.

“Mr. Ayato!” A mortified scream united Neuvillette, Wriothesley, as well as their guide Elphane, alike. For roughly ten seconds, they all stood there, fearing to check whether the motionless body was still breathing until thankfully, Ayato began to scramble himself back up on his own. The Iudex and the Melusine immediately rushed to help him as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water to sober them up, leaving the third of the onlookers to climb aboard and awkwardly sit behind the commotion. It’s not like a third pair of hands being shoved in Ayato’s face would’ve helped much by that point.

To be honest, the man didn’t look well, despite his incessant claims that he was fine. He wasn’t terribly beat-up, apart from the very scary looking stream of blood pouring down the side of his face, weaving an unsightly red into his light hair. He must’ve cut his brow ridge, Wriothesley assessed with his experience of someone who’s cut or bruised every last part of his body at some point. Those tended to bleed rather dramatically, but the commissioner would most likely live, at the cost of his princely face looking a bit rough for a while.

Seriously, though... what the hell just happened?! No one could’ve predicted that! He was a Vision user! Trained in martial arts and swordsmanship! How could his reflexes be so poor? And besides – could no one else have caught him?!

He sighed to himself, quietly. There was no use in blaming the victim for it. It was all on him. Even if he didn’t want it to go over this poorly, he still went ahead and tripped him. Grown men! Grown men, all of them! He wasn’t a ten year old! What has gotten into him?

This whole jealousy thing was so darn uncontrollable, it was getting out of hand. It... might’ve done that a while ago, to be honest. Shady or not, Ayato wasn’t a crook. There was no excuse for lashing out on him.

He stared down at his hands.

Wriothesley had sworn never to use his strength – or wit for that matter – to hurt anyone who didn’t absolutely deserve it. He refused to grow into the monster people had once perceived him as. Turns out, maybe he was a bloodthirsty lunatic after all.

At the end of the day, he only tripped him instead of lunging at him with his fists, but if the setting and circumstances were different, he couldn’t trust himself enough to be sure he wouldn’t have tried anything worse than that. He’s been aggravated that whole day, slowly turning into a ticking bomb. Just then, when his mind went blank, he thought he was enraged; he thought Ayato’s annoying behavior had simply brought him to that point. After seeing him bleed and realizing how familiar this feeling was, Wriothesley now began to realize that what’s been eating at him wasn’t so much frustration, but fear. The fear of losing someone important to him, as well as the fear of walls slowly enclosing on him, forcing him to make a decision and say things he’s always feared to say.

Much like jealousy, he didn’t feel fear very often anymore. Arguably he’s... made himself unable to feel it. And clearly, he didn’t know how to deal with it either, now that it has come.

Perhaps the most ironic part about this entire mess of a situation was that ultimately, he’s done himself no favors. As it was, Wriothesley sat on the side, watching Neuvillette use his Hydro abilities to clean Ayato’s cut with utmost gentleness and care, hanging a couple of inches away from his face. Elphane had pulled out a first aid kit from under the seats and after a firm reassurance that there would be no deaths happening during the tour, she started the bus, thus putting them back on the way to the opera.

Ayato didn’t glance Wriothesley’s way even once, stuck between shock and embarrassed amusement over the whole ordeal. A guy as bright as him would’ve probably signaled it if he had suspected anything, but... could he really not have noticed?

Well, either way, it didn’t mean the culprit was in the clear just yet. In fact, he’s decided he would admit to his crimes and apologize at a slightly better time. He had to do right by his conscience.

Alas, looking at his two companions huddled side to side and laughing to themselves about the accident took away whatever confidence Wriothesley had left. He let his head droop, hiding his face in his hands for the rest of the trip. If he still had any tears left to spare at his age, he might’ve shed some. It was a doubtful blessing that this wasn’t the case anymore.

And what if his nightmares did come true? What if at whatever point in time, Neuvillette did decide to go for his Inazuman friend? What then? He could hardly change his mind, and besides, he didn’t want to. He wasn’t that kind of person. Neuvillette deserved happiness more than anyone else in Teyvat.

So then, was he to sit on the bleachers and watch the two until he inevitably snapped again and did something even more uncivilized? Or, was he to give his closest friend a crappy excuse of why they could no longer see each other as he holed himself up in the Fortress for the rest of his days?

Certainly very comforting scenarios, both of them. Actually, there was a third, even worse one, in which he brought himself to confess only to be shot down. Had he done so earlier, he might’ve still had a chance, but with this guy around...

...

Maybe staging his own disappearance and escaping to the northernmost snow deserts of Snezhnaya didn’t sound so bad after all. There was hardly a thing a man loved more than running away from his feelings!

“...Wriothesley?”

Before his head could float any higher into the clouds from being so full of these empty thoughts and conclusions, something stopped it with a light tap against his messy hair.

He looked up, blinded by the afternoon sun bravely forging its way through the ominous clouds. After a series of blinks, he was finally able to make out Neuvillette’s general shape, standing over him.

“Mm?”

“Are you alright? Earlier, you said you weren’t feeling well and just now you seemed somewhat... um...”

“I’m fine.” He said, only slightly forcing himself to smile. It was at least a little bit of a good thing to see the other.

This time however, Neuvillette didn’t buy it and frowned.

“Is that the truth? You needn’t lie to me. I may be unable to read minds, but even after altering your bodies I can still sense slight traces of Fontainians’ emotions.”

While Wriothesley didn’t doubt nor underestimate the Hydro Sovereign’s powers, he couldn’t help but wonder whether that was really the case or whether opening himself up to humans simply made him so much more perceptive to that which they wouldn’t say out loud.

“Just tired. Seriously.” He told him again. “I’ve still got a stupid amount of paperwork awaiting me at the Fortress. This trip may or may not have been an attempt to escape my responsibilities. Who knows? Maybe this dark sky is all for me this time around, heh.”

“I wouldn’t wish a sky this dark upon a stranger, let alone... you, Wriothesley.” Neuvillette took a brief peek at said sky after which he smiled back at him. “Amazing as you may be, no human is indestructible. You shouldn’t take on the worst of my habits, so I hope you can soon get some rest... and sunlight.”

‘Amazing’ – he would always call him that, or another similar word, and it always made this old boxer’s heart skip a beat, without fail. That being said, even when he couldn’t put it into words himself, Neuvillette considered all of humanity to be amazing and Wriothesley knew that. He had no delusions of grandeur that it was really him he was so captivated by and not just the general concept of humanity that dwelled within the closest regular human Neuvillette had within his reach. Now, how exactly did Wriothesley end up being in that position was another answerless question that has kept him up at night throughout the years.

“How about you set an example first, hm?” He retorted, to which Neuvillette seemed offended:

“I— I have taken half of this day off, have I not?”

With the corner of his eye, Wriothesley spotted Ayato, who was sitting on the other end of the aquabus; he’s gotten away with only a small band-aid on his forehead. Also, he was... undoubtedly staring right at them. His expression was strange and unsettling: for once, he wasn’t smiling, and though his face was blank, his eyes were bright and calculating.

Could he have been mad that he was no longer the center of the attention...?

Seemed like the competition was still on. Neither Ayato’s bleeding head nor Wriothesley’s bleeding heart discouraged either of them from finishing the day at the opera house.

The massive crowds that awaited them once they had arrived were a tad discouraging, though. Regardless of how accurate the term was based on their behavior, the three wished to call themselves gentlemen, and so despite the fact that Neuvillette could easily VIP his way into getting them tickets, he didn’t want to cut into the line. As a result, the men patiently stood by the entrance, waiting for the crowd to clear up enough to get to the reception.

“What are they playing tonight? A play? An opera? Seems like it’s a hit with the audience, anyway.” Wriothesley asked, having spotted a large promotional poster on the wall. He’s read and watched a few Fontainian plays in his day, but this title didn’t ring a bell.

“Hmm... this one...” Neuvillette joined him and pondered, slowly analyzing the poster. “I think this one’s an opera about an ancient Seelie queen who wished to marry, until one of her rivals brewed a love potion, thus creating a rather troublesome series of events. It is actually quite entertaining but thankfully, completely fictional. As a matter of fact, I’ve personally overseen banning such distasteful concoctions about three hundred years ago. The people of that time were... certainly very inventive.”

“Have you seen this opera before, Monsieur Neuvillette?” Ayato suddenly asked, though between his tone and poise, he seemed to have been spacing out, joining the conversation only out of a polite habit.

“Several times, the last of which was only sixty seven years ago, that’s why the details of the plot are still fresh in my mind.”

“Good gods... You know, I’ve never really thought about it that way, but I suppose with your lifespan, you must know every single story by heart now. Doesn’t that get boring?” Wriothesley chimed in. Frankly, the more he thought about Neuvillette’s lifespan, the more depressing aspects of it he discovered, though of course, he wouldn’t ever wish for him to wither as quickly as he most likely would himself.

“I’m far from claiming I’m even close to knowing every story that came out during my time.” Neuvillette shook his head. “Even so, a part of why I enjoy live performances so much is because every version is brought to life by a different director and different set of actors, and each of them brings something unique to make the result memorable. Even Lady Furina never played the same role in the same manner over the course of her career. It’s always enjoyable to see a new iteration of a classic.”

Listening to him, Wriothesley couldn’t help but smile. So many people and creatures would waste their lives away had they been given as much time as the Iudex, and yet here he was, making the best use of every last minute of it. It almost seemed like he was grateful for having been reborn in a human form. Whenever he spent time in Neuvillette’s company, he came out of it more appreciative of his life, however unfortunate the past he’d left behind might’ve been. That being said, he was still of the opinion that the Sovereign would be using it even better if he gave himself vacation more than a day once a damn year.

Apparently, his shameless admiration was written all over his face, which was more than he would’ve preferred to show. Neuvillette tilted his head to the side, giving him a curious look before eventually shifting his eyes away, visibly embarrassed.

This tranquil moment was suddenly interrupted by a stifled groan. Ayato was holding onto his head, standing a couple of steps behind them and judging by his expression, he was in a great deal of pain.

“Mr. Ayato...? Are you alright? Is your injury troubling you again?” Neuvillette was immediately concerned.

“Just a mild headache... I don’t think it’s anything too serious, but it is making me a little bit dizzy.”

On the other hand, Wriothesley hated to show any kind of concern for the guy that was actively ruining his day, but he didn’t want to add any new names to the list of people he’s killed, either.

“You sure...? Don’t underplay it, you know, it’s not worth it. You could be having a delayed concussion. That, or the inside of your noggin’ starts bleeding in a couple of hours and you’ll die before you see the sun rise.” He’s heard those warnings from Sigewinne before every boxing match so often he practically learned them by heart.

“Valid things to consider. I appreciate your concern, both of you, my friends. However, I’m really not convinced it’s anything on this level of severity. It may as well have been caused by the room being so densely packed.”

“He’s kind of right. It’s getting pretty stuffy in here.” He said, looking at Neuvillette, who appeared like he wouldn’t let the Inazuman leave his sight, unless it was to visit a hospital.

“As His Grace said. I think the best remedy right now is getting some fresh air. Please, don’t feel obligated to wait for me.” And with that, Ayato flashed them a quick smile, walking away and leaving the building before either of them could react.

Nothing about that seemed suspicious at all, huh?

Wriothesley didn’t have time to try and figure out this round of the commissioner’s games either, as Neuvillette pulled him closer:

“Wriothesley, you should accompany him to see if he’s fine.”

He stared at him so hard his eyes almost left their orbits. “Me?! I-I don’t know if that’s... I mean, he’s your buddy, no?”

“And you’re a human. One that is no stranger to head traumas, at that. You should know better than me how to recognize any genuine signs of illness. I insist that you go and assure his safety.”

“Because I’m a human...” Wriothesley repeated, muttering with no enthusiasm. “Say, you’ve been living here as one for how long, exactly?”

Shockingly, Neuvillette acted like he didn’t hear him.

“Besides, I must keep our place in line and acquire tickets.” He said, turning away and thus letting him know it was a non-negotiable.

The Duke sighed and rolled his eyes, but did as he was asked, not wishing Ayato any more harm than what he’s already sustained – at least in theory. Before leaving, he unceremoniously shoved his shopping bags into Neuvillette’s hands, receiving a polite smile as thanks.

Once outside, it didn’t take him long to spot their missing companion who was standing by the Fountain of Lucine, and thank the late Archon for that, as he couldn’t imagine showing his face at the opera again if he had lost him.

“There you are! Hey, you can’t just say you’re feeling dizzy and run off like that. Neuvillette’s worried about you.” He called out to him as he approached. Though he may have been neutral on the matter of Ayato’s wellbeing, he did not like seeing the Iudex worried. He’d make sure this rich buffoon was spick and span even if he had to operate on him with his bare hands.

“Fontainians are truly considerate hosts. I feel as though after the Sakoku Decree, we’ve got much to learn from you.” Ayato turned around and chuckled. Even now, life was nothing but a form of leisurely entertainment for him. “You should tell him not to torment himself with something so insignificant. I’m much better now, and I’m sure he’s got way more important things on his mind.”

“You’re right on that.” He mumbled, allowing himself to take a good look at him, which he’s been avoiding for a while. The Inazuman really did seem to have gotten much better after a breath of fresh air. In fact, he seemed perfectly healthy – flushed and bright-eyed, and not at all like someone who’s claimed to be feeling faint just a moment prior. It was hard to tell whether that was a reason to celebrate, though. If anything, it might’ve meant there was another suspicious scheme afoot. “I guess you are better, huh? So, umm... are you going to come back inside now, or...?”

“Actually, I think it’s time for me to end the day. It has been eventful enough. I’m going to head back to the hotel. Please, pass on my apology for any inconvenience caused to the Iudex. After seeing the extent of his concern, it might be best that I don’t say my goodbye in person.”

Which was really an elaborate way of saying that he was too scared to serve him his crappy excuses, knowing that Neuvillette would not let him go so easily.

“What?! What are you talking about? I mean... You were the one who wanted to go to the opera in the first place! Did you hit your head that bad?” Wriothesley lurched closer to check whether there was anything seeping through the band-aid, or perhaps whether his pupils were an unnatural size and clearly, that was too close for Ayato’s comfort; he stepped back, looking startled, and shielded his face with his hands.

“Ahaha... Your Grace, I can assure you as many times as you wish that I am completely fine. And by that, I mean... as I’m assuming you’ve already guessed, I was never feeling sick to begin with. I’m sorry that I had to lie to the two of you, though I didn’t expect you to be so thorough.”

Wriothesley slowly withdrew, let out a rather gruff ‘hmph’, and shoved his hands into his pockets. Even if he did suspect it, he still felt like he was being toyed with, which he wasn’t very happy about; he was even less happy about the fact that this catty bastard’s charades abused Neuvillette’s compassion and good will.

That was exactly why his circle of trust was limited to only the select few.

“So, you wanted to slither away without us noticing. Mind enlightening me as to why?”

Ayato took his sweet time to answer, pacing around the fountain while he thought. Wriothesley followed, as he would when escorting an inmate.

“I can go and see another play tomorrow, or the next time I come to Fontaine. Honestly, I’ve already seen hundreds of operas, plays, and kabuki performances in my life, and although none of them had been staged here, I can probably afford to skip one regardless.” He finally said. “What’s much more important is that I believe this one should be enjoyed by the two of you alone. I think both Your Grace and Monsieur Neuvillette could... benefit from keeping each other company tonight without having to worry about entertaining an additional guest.”

Wriothesley stopped.

Surprising as it was, that sudden confession did not dispel any of his suspicions and doubts. If anything, it has only confused him further.

Of course, it would’ve been easier to follow up with a demand for explanation, but he was used to figuring things out on his own, and old habits died hard. His mind immediately began racing. With or without his inescapable jealousy-fueled bias, what reasons could that cunning man really have in allowing him and Neuvillette to ‘benefit from having some time alone’? They had hardly made him feel like the third wheel – that role belonged to the pathetic, seething Duke, if anything. Neuvillette was all over his handsome friend that day. Was Ayato that big of a drama queen that he took offense the moment the attention was no longer on him?

Didn’t exactly seem like the type, but... if it really was a ‘game’ to him...

And then, it struck him like a bolt from the sky:

“Is that supposed to be pity?” He asked, no longer trying to hide his hostility. He agreed with Ayato on one thing: this day has been eventful enough as it was. Now that he was given an occasion to talk to him directly, possibly a blessing from Celestia itself, he may as well have stopped beating around the bush.

Ayato ceased his leisurely musings and stared right back at him. “Excuse me?”

“It’s all a part of a game to you, isn’t it? You know, I thought I’ve been keeping up until this point, but now you’ve got me stumped. Apparently, my mind’s not twisted enough to get it. Is this some kind of a power play? You think I’m such a loser that I need a head start, is that it?” Questions spouted out of him one after another like venom from an angry viper’s mouth, but it was too late to stop. He needed to know his stance on this; he needed to hear him say it. If he at least knew his motives... it would be easier, knowing that Neuvillette will be in good hands either way.

“Y-Your Grace, please calm down. If anybody’s stumped here, it’s... me, I’m afraid. I like to think I’m usually three steps ahead but this time... you might just be wrongfully contributing such advanced foresight to me.” Having gotten over his shock, Ayato’s face faded into a frown. This time, he didn’t back down even though, from the looks of it, he wasn’t exactly sure what kind of opponent he’d have to face. “Could you... calmly explain what the accusations against me are?”

Wriothesley stared at him, huffing like a raging bull preparing for a charge, but as unsatisfying as it was, the commissioner didn’t do anything. He patiently waited for an answer, standing there, staring at him as if he were the insane one. For many hours now, he’s been aching for some sort of an emotional release, a way to let it out, or rather, to take it out on something or someone. Spew the bile out, if you will. Alas, this was not it.

Gradually, his rage subsided into dread, sending him into a blind panic; what if he, by some impossible means, was wrong after all? What if Ayato truly never thought of the Chief Justice as anything other than a friend and a diplomatic ally? How could he even begin to explain that he attacked this innocent man due to his jealousy over someone who... who wouldn’t even introduce him as his friend. He... he would make a bloody fool out of himself.

His tense muscles began to relax or, more accurately, go limp with resignation. His combat stance was no more, and thank goodness, for he was just about to summon his gauntlets.

“Ugh, I’m so... so tired of this by now.” He brushed the hair off his face and let out a loud groan; with it, it seemed that the few remaining ounces of energy have left his body. “Just give it to me straight, will you?”

“If I can dispel any doubts Your Grace has, I’ll gladly answer your questions.”

“What is it that you want with Neuvillette, huh? I can tell that you’ve got your eyes on him. You’ve been acting sleazy all day. Regardless of what you choose to answer, you should know that...” He suddenly paused against his will, as if words got stuck in his throat. In hindsight, it might’ve been his body instinctively trying to protect him from humiliation, but Wriothesley unfortunately never had much respect for his body, nor its protective signals. “...that I’m here, too. And I’m not going to give up so easily. Not on him.”

Ayato’s head jerked up in what appeared to be surprise, but he didn’t say anything.  Wriothesley stared at him helplessly, begging him to stop prolonging his tortures while simultaneously fighting his own internal battle in which, thankfully, the side that told him he shouldn’t tackle him down into that fountain and drown him was winning thus far. The commissioner’s eyes were so wide they’d become red from the reflections of the ongoing sunset.

After a horrendously long minute of silence, the commissioner’s body also began to relax, marking the end of their unfulfilled duel.

He became so relaxed in fact, all of the sudden he... burst out laughing.

Unlike the previous times, it was not a subtle snicker which he used to ease his way out of the conversation. This was an earnest, full-body laughter which soon had him gripping at his sides, and the longer it went on, the stronger Wriothesley was reconsidering the fountain option.

“What?! What’s so fucking funny?!” He snapped eventually.

“Oh, my goodness... is this what this was all about?” Ayato asked, wiping tears from his eyes a while later. “I mean—of course I’ve noticed how overprotective you’ve been around our dear Iudex, but I wouldn’t have thought you were so genuinely convinced I was interested in, well... dating him.”

“Y... You’re not?” As much as he hated the patronizing tone he was using with him, there were far more important things to know.

“Not at all. Monsieur Neuvillette is merely a friend of mine – one that I greatly respect and consider a precious ally, but there has never been nor ever will be any romantic interest between us.”

Despite the fact that those exact words were everything Wriothesley had dreamed of hearing, they were so very much opposite of what he had braced himself for, actually hearing them gave him a whiplash. He felt dizzy, then hot, and then – so cold that shivers went down his spine and made his fingers numb.

Was he really... that wrong? About everything? Has this stupid feeling of jealousy seriously put blinders on his eyes, letting him rampage like a feral beast? He could see it – all of it – he could have sworn the other two were acting suspicious!

Gods almighty in Celestia... He didn’t feel ready to accept this truth, much as he wasn’t ready to even begin to think what a massive moron he’s made himself out to be.

“Of course, nobody with a half decent sense of aesthetic could remain ignorant to his charms.” Ayato unexpectedly spoke again. “He’s a noble and gentle soul, much more so than what I could ever claim myself to be. Monsieur Neuvillette is the kind of man that is not just handsome, but also graceful and beautiful.”

Wriothesley let out a very threatening ‘tsk’. Not that he disagreed with any of those statements, but he’d prefer if they were only ever heard inside of his mind.

“But...“ Ayato quickly continued and, to the Duke’s surprise then confusion, approached him; his thin fingers wrapped themselves around the red tie he was so interested in before. “In spite of those facts, he is rather far from my personal ideal. To be completely honest, if I were to choose, I’d sooner say that Your Grace suits my preferences much, much better.”

It was now Wriothesley who thought his face was too close for comfort and frankly, he would’ve preferred to be threatened with a fight at that moment. What a sudden and terrifying shift in the mood, he thought, feeling utterly flabbergasted. Should he be flattered? Perhaps he would’ve been if he didn’t spend the day vehemently despising the guy. Not that it actually mattered. He’d turned down plenty of advances in the past. Neither his trust nor devotion was easily earned, and he certainly couldn’t be swayed by cheap compliments, flowers, and chocolates.

Usually, it took some premium quality tea.

In reality however, his heart belonged to one person from the moment he’d seen him for the first time. It was only too bad it took him far, far too long to become aware of it.

“Err...”

His awkward murmurs were then interrupted by Ayato’s light-hearted laughter yet again, before he gathered his long sleeves and sat on the gilded edge of the fountain.

“Haha, I jest, there’s no need to worry. Although now that we’ve chosen to speak of this openly, I must confess something. Your senses weren’t entirely wrong, as I’m not without fault, either.”

For the past ten minutes, Wriothesley’s heart has been jumping back and forth from the depths to his stomach and into his throat. This emotional rollercoaster was getting tedious. “You mean...?”

“I’ve been having some fun here and there, using vacation as an excuse for my unruly behavior. You see, once I’ve noticed the heinous amount of unspoken words between the two of you, I did decide to play a ‘game’, as you have called it. I wanted to see how far I could push either of you before that unnecessary wall you’ve built between yourselves began to crumble. As such, I might indeed be guilty of some comments or... gestures I wouldn’t usually resort to. The curiosity had won – you and Monsieur Neuvillette are truly fascinating people.”

“So fascinating you chose to meddle with our lives like we’re your dolls or something?! For what, entertainment? I don’t get it. I was right, my head’s not messed up enough to understand something like that.”

Feeling too idle for his own good, his hands flew up, but no matter how much he wished he would, he managed to stop himself from closing them around Ayato’s neck. Instead, he ended up crossing his arms and pacing around. After something like this, he should’ve left him behind and gone back to the opera, but his need for answers still kept him there.

So, what, Ayato wasn’t flirting with Neuvillette all day because he wanted to? No, it was worse than that – if what he said was true, he’s been doing that solely to rile him up, just to see what Wriothesley would do. In the past, he had to put up with the Melusines trying to play matchmakers, but nothing like this – this was vile. And yet, the man looked entirely unbothered, if mildly amused. Was this sort of thing normal in Inazuma? If so, he was no longer sure whether he wanted to visit.

“I apologize. It was not my intention to cause a rift between you two – or between you and I, for that matter. From my point of view, it appeared that you and Monsieur Neuvillette are locked in a stalemate of sorts. I wanted to see if I, as a foreign third party, could do something to move the matters along.”

“Stalema— W-What matters? What are you talking about?”

“Please, you needn’t pretend you don’t know what I mean. The two of you obviously love and care for each other very much, more than most married couples I’ve met, dare I say. I can only assume this has gone on for years, but to be honest, I’ve never before seen people your age mutually acting as if they were experiencing their first puppy love, haha. It’s adorable, but let us be real for a moment: by hesitating, you are only wasting the precious time you could have together otherwise. People like you and I... we are not meant for Eternity. Of course I wouldn’t be making any such claims if I hadn’t confirmed for myself how much each of you is willing to fight for the other. When I suggested you were already an item, neither of you seemed appalled by the implication, so I’m guessing there aren’t any underlying conflicts...”

Ah. So this really was a ‘Melusine thing’ after all. What was with everyone seeing him and Neuvillette and thinking they had the right to dictate how their relationship was supposed to unfold?!

“No, you—why—what? I’m—S-Shut up! It’s none of your business!” He finally stammered out, flailing his arms around, as Ayato narrowly avoided a smack with one of his metal rings. In all fairness, this display didn’t do much to disprove the ‘puppy love’ argument. He could only hope he wasn’t blushing during it, too. “It really isn’t. You don’t even have to put up with us on daily basis, so what does it matter what we are or aren’t— A-And for the record, what I feel is one thing, but Neuvillette definitely doesn’t... you’re mistaken.” He summed up.

Ayato raised a single brow of his, which made him shudder; the Duke has never felt so judged before – not even in court. After what seemed like a brief examination, the Inazuman sighed and shook his head, visibly disappointed.

“Your Grace, on the other hand, is correct, but only partially so. It was unnecessary for me to intervene, yes, but I also don’t think you’re aware just how much anyone who interacts with Monsieur Neuvillette becomes inadvertently dragged into his private affairs.” His tone was polite as usual, but his face, for the first time, has dropped its diplomatic façade and twisted into a grimace that was equal parts disbelief and fatigue. “If you knew how he speaks of you to others, I’m sure you wouldn’t doubt his affection. He appears to be... hopelessly devoted. Over the past year, we’ve exchanged many letters, and I could use only one hand to count those which didn’t mention Your Grace or that girl, Sigewinne. From a literary standpoint, I must say, his descriptions of you had a good poetic quality to them, but they could get a little bit lengthy... ahem, it really was nothing but praise. I was very curious to see just who the person who had captured his heart was. Remember when I said you weren’t who I expected? Frankly, I don’t think even the Heavenly Principles would be able to live up to the odes to perfection I had read about you.”

“I... He’s not... He doesn’t...” No matter how hard he tried, Wriothesley couldn’t find the right words to convey just how ridiculous the other was being. He felt like he was hearing something he was never supposed to learn, from an unreliable source, nonetheless. No, he was definitely not supposed to hear any of it! Whatever compliments Neuvillette had written about him, he shared them with Ayato in confidence. This was a breach of trust. He shook his head, wishing it would help shake out everything he’s heard. “Listen, I... I know he’s got a bit of a soft spot for me because of our shared past. For a judge, I must be the biggest success story ever and I’m grateful for what he’s done for me, it’s just... we’re friends. Close friends, but friends nonetheless. Nothing more, at least... I think so.”

He couldn’t help but think of that unfortunate introduction from earlier. That too might’ve been his own delusion; maybe it was just a slip of the tongue, but... maybe it wasn’t.

“You don’t sound very sure, Your Grace. Have you ever asked him? Judging by your behavior, it doesn’t seem like you have. Clearly you’re not indifferent though, I mean goodness, you were almost willing to turn me into a punching bag for standing in his vicinity.”

Though he sounded serious, his smile was one of the rare genuine ones. There was something... encouraging about Ayato’s new attitude. Normally, he seemed rather aloof, only to suddenly exude inexplicable warmth – well, maybe that was an exaggeration, but it was an improvement from the continuous repulsion that Wriothesley has been experiencing for most of the day.

His opponent no longer felt so threatening.

He did have a younger sister, he recalled – maybe his current approach involved employing brotherly strategies on him, or maybe Wriothesley was just that desperate to spit out what’s been gnawing on him for so long that he stopped caring. He didn’t get to tell these things to others often; Melusines felt like little sisters of his own, and any discussion about feelings with Clorinde ended with a back and forth about who should un-fuck their love life first. That and, well, there was only so much he was willing to tell someone who was a coworker of his ‘puppy love’.

Neuvillette would be the best kind of person to confide in for such a sensitive topic... and he definitely wished he was able to say it to him.

Taking note of his internal struggles, Ayato tapped the spot on the fountain next to him. Hesitantly, Wriothesley took a seat; his legs were feeling somewhat soft, anyway.

“Hey, I’m... sorry. You say ‘almost’ but actually, that, uh, fall of yours might not have been entirely accidental, either.” He mumbled, wishing to get his sins off his chest before he poured his heart out.

“Really? My... haha!” Not only did Ayato not seem mad about cracking open his head over one jealous fool’s follies, it apparently entertained him even further. “Such determination... it’s almost chivalrous. Though based on the fact that within a few hours I’m likely to end up with an unsightly black eye, I can only forgive Your Grace on one condition.”

“Which is...?”

“Tell me what the deal with the two of you truly is. Feel free to scold me for my nosiness, but I do wish to know. I’ve my own reasons... which I shall explain in a moment, but I’d like to hear what’s on Your Grace’s mind, first.”

Wriothesley let out a deep and loud sigh, leaning back so much he could feel the fountain’s droplets splash against his forehead. It was refreshing, if not sobering.

In the end, it turned out that neither him nor Ayato were innocent. It seemed like after the shenanigans he’s caused, some form of a confession was inevitable one way or the other. Maybe admitting the truth would feel just as refreshing, he thought – in the past, it always did.

“Yeah, yeah, fine. There isn’t much to it that you haven’t guessed already. Obviously, I’m... in love with him. Head over heels, as if I really still were a stupid brat. He’s the only reason I’m sitting here with you tonight.” Surprisingly, instead of humiliating him further, saying that part alone made him feel like he’s lost half his weight. A feeling of elation, almost – however, it was too early to celebrate before the ugly parts were properly voiced, too. “It doesn’t really matter, though. You’re wrong. He doesn’t like me back, as I’ve told you. I mean, how could he? Why would he ever want to choose someone like me over all the options available? Also, he’s been alive for hundreds of years and to my knowledge, he’s never been with anyone long-term. He has plenty of reasons to want to distance himself from the rest of us. His duty as an impartial judge is invaluable, it’s just... part of who he is, and he’d be lost without it. I don’t think he’s currently interested in anybody, for that matter. And even... even if he was...” He paused; it was so much easier to live in denial. After all, why should he yearn for the stars if he couldn’t even get off the ground? But if he were suddenly given the ability to fly, yet still couldn’t reach them, that’d make the fall so much more painful. Don’t stop now, he told himself, thinking it’d be best to get it over with in one go, like pulling off one of those band-aids Ayato had on his face. “If he’s changed his stance after everything that happened in Fontaine recently, then I’m still not the guy for him. You would be. That’s the thing, isn’t it? Someone like me would only tarnish his reputation. He tries his best to convince nobles and officials to accept me, but he can’t change who I am. And I’m a... murderer, and a recluse with plenty of flaws to spare. The rumors about me are endless, and more and more often, he also gets dragged into them by association, especially now that he’s become the acting Archon. I know Neuvillette is as sweet as they come, and I also know that if he had even an inkling of feelings towards me, he wouldn’t reject me. However I... couldn’t possibly live with the guilt of bringing him down with me.”

Ayato listened to him intently, without interrupting once. His finger was running across his lips, as he was deep in thought trying to analyze the influx of new information he’s been craving so badly. It was impossible to guess what his personal thoughts might’ve been.

Finally, he straightened up and offered his awaited insight – spoken surprisingly softly, all things considered:

“Wouldn’t you rather confess first, and then see where he’s standing before either of you decide what to do next instead of... living the rest of your life tormenting yourself with endless ‘what ifs’?”

Wriothesley shook his head; his lips have unwittingly twisted into a most bitter smile. “Nope. Because there’s always the option that he doesn’t like me, and confessing will make things awkward; in that case, I wouldn’t be surprised if the guilt of being unable to reciprocate drove him away from me for good. And I can’t risk losing him, ever.”

“If that is what you think... An unfortunate fate, but I’m not one to tell you what to do. I understand you more than you can imagine. Not to make it about myself, but as it happens I’m facing a somewhat similar dilemma back at home and... I must admit, seeing the two of you both reminded me of it, and made me slightly jealous.”

“You were jealous?” Wriothesley cut in, unable to contain his surprise. Then again, was it surprise, really? That whole day has been revolving around jealousy. It seemed that rich or poor, everyone fell victim to it sometimes. What a nasty thing. Still, he couldn’t figure out what could someone like Ayato envy about his and Neuvillette’s relationship. It left even the people concerned yearning for more. Vastly unfulfilling.

Thankfully, this time the man was quicker to explain, without dancing around the topic:

“Indeed. Of course, I don’t wish to imply that your life is perfect, or that one is better than the other, but I do envy your freedom. The Duke of Meropide and the Chief Justice of Fontaine... these are both independent positions. Both of you are adult and self-reliant and don’t have families to provide for. You needn’t follow any particular customs. All three of us are duty-bound and busy, yes, and much as you have said, we must keep our respective reputations in mind. At the end of the day though, your personal life does not hinge on your positions, and both of you have the ability to step down and retire should the need for it arise. Not to mention, I think Your Grace is selling himself short. While some could protest, I’m sure many Fontainians would gladly welcome a union between their two most respected figures.” There it was, that falsely charming smile the commissioner put on whenever he was sucking up to someone, perhaps out of sheer habit at that point. Wriothesley rolled his eyes, but at heart, he did think it was kinda funny. He wondered whether he also looked like that when he was trying to climb his way up in the world. Gods, he must’ve been insufferable. Alas – it worked. Soon, Ayato continued: “To me, that is freedom. For that reason, it’s enjoyable to watch your relationship unfold. I quickly found myself rooting for it... although it might just be my own wishful thinking rather than benevolence, heh.”

“I guess I’ve... never thought of it that way.” Wriothesley mused. In all fairness, on his own, he would’ve never considered the lack of family to be a positive thing. In his specific case, the very thought felt like a blasphemy. Naturally, the foreigner next to him was wearing some thick rose-tinted glasses, but at the same time, nothing he said was a lie. Slowly, he was beginning to understand what Ayato – as well as his other acquaintances – meant when they said that by hiding his feelings for Neuvillette, he was being wasteful. He could’ve been in a much worse position. He could’ve still lived in the streets, for starters. Technically speaking, there weren’t any legal obstacles stopping them that he knew of. They even had enough power and influence to shut down any tabloid trying to talk them down... not that it would be his preferred method of acting, but it was an option. As it stood, Wriothesley was his own worst enemy in getting together with the person he loved.

When he first heard Ayato say he understood his situation, he doubted him. Actually, it was unfathomably easy to adopt a cynical attitude and insist that no one could ever understand him, let alone a privileged member of a renowned family who wrapped anyone he came across around his finger. The longer he talked to him, however, the more he felt like his words could have only come out of someone who’s been where he was before.

“You did say earlier that there are people who expect you to get married... I can only assume whoever they have in mind wouldn’t be your own first choice, eh? Say, have you... have you ever been so jealous you felt like you were losing your senses?” He asked after a moment, convinced that it was the final bridge he needed to lay down in order to consider the other his peer.

“Maybe.” Ayato answered cryptically, avoiding his gaze, apparently still very mindful over protecting his own reputation. Or maybe he was simply embarrassed, as any regular human would. No matter how much the Duke had tried to demonize him that day, he still bled the same red blood as him, as proven by the aquabus incident. “I don’t mean to sound vain, but it’s a fact that in Inazuma, I’m so high-profile I can hardly make any regular friends without having to conceal my true identity. Consequently, I often end up in a situation where I’m stuck in my office, buried in paperwork, passively watching all of my closest companions enjoying themselves without me. Or, rather... enjoying each other’s company more than they’re able to enjoy mine. I’m not asking for pity, but the truth is, things are so much more complicated than I can feasibly explain over the course of one evening.” He sighed. “But... you see, if I can’t even choose my own friends, then choosing a less-than-appropriate lover is also out of question and believe it or not, there aren’t that many upsides to the life of a bachelor. Traditionally, the head of the Yashiro Commission has always had a spouse on their side, helping them fulfill their duties and manage the household, most of which falls upon my shoulders currently. A marriage would also make it easier to officially divide ownership of the estate between me and my sister, Ayaka. And yet... I still choose to keep running away from it.”

“Because they won’t let you marry who you want, am I right?” He guessed, if only to confirm his earlier assumptions, and indeed, the other nodded. “Mind telling me who that is? Not that I would know them, anyway, so I won’t spill. I’m just curious as to what kind of a... ‘villain’ could be so inappropriate that even the revered head of the Yashiro Commission can’t have his way and put everyone out of this misery already.”

“It’s my... my housekeeper. An outlander, nonetheless. I know, doesn’t that sound straight out of a novel?” He laughed in embarrassment and shook his head before Wriothesley could as much as blink. The latter wasn’t laughing along with him. “Ultimately, it’s just like you’ve said. It doesn’t really matter how we feel about it, because it’s impossible for us to stay together, at least in the foreseeable future. If the people of Inazuma were to find out, they’d have him fired, if not lynched, and I imagine they would insist that I resign, too. It would also subsequently mean that I’m replaced by Ayaka, who certainly does not deserve to carry my current burdens at her young age. I wish for her to stay innocent as long as she’s able to, especially now that she no longer has to concern herself with the war and... ah. I shall spare you any more details.”

“Damn... that does sound rough. Or, at the very least... unimaginably annoying to deal with. I’m sorry.” He muttered, which was the best extension of sympathy he could offer at that moment. Only a couple of hours prior, he couldn’t have imagined a pompous buffoon like Kamisato Ayato could’ve dealt with problems that were even remotely relatable to his. Born to wealth, with a grand estate to his name, he wasn’t exactly someone who one would have suspected to have settled for anyone beneath the fortune and fame of the Iudex and yet... he was willing to endure so much trouble solely due to the feelings he bore towards someone as simple as a housekeeper. Whatever he found so captivating about that person, it’s long gone beyond petty, earthly matters like wealth or status. Having learned this, Wriothesley’s respect towards him skyrocketed. “When you put it this way, it does sound like Neuvillette and I are just a couple of bumbling idiots, wasting time with aimless excuses...”

“I wouldn’t go that far. However... the least you can do is take a chance, no? Go forth, my friends, live the life I wasn’t destined for!”

Despite his cheerful tone, it’s been ages since Wriothesley last felt his heart ache for another person’s fate this much. Just as he was trying to incompetently string together some words of comfort, Ayato suddenly stood up and pulled out a pocket watch, damn near giving him a heart attack:

“Well, would you look at the time! Unfortunately, I think we ought to wrap this discussion up now if you still want to watch that opera with the Iudex. I also wouldn’t want to be caught in the rain on my way to the hotel...”

“Man, I feel so bad. I apologize, once again. I’ve treated you like crap this whole day, and...” Wriothesley started, also peeling himself off the cold fountain edge, but the other interrupted him:

“You have? Oh, I haven’t really noticed.” He said, smiling.

Even he was starting to envy his class and composure. The Duke was good at buttering people up, but not nearly as patient; it would’ve saved his butt on some occasions.

“Are you sure you don’t want to see the play with us? Neuvillette and I can come here any day, unlike you.”

“This is the kind of mindset that allows us to postpone certain things indefinitely, Your Grace. And some things are more important than the wonders of art.” He said and circled the fountain, ready to head back to the station, thus indicating a true end to their unexpectedly insightful heart-to-heart. “Ahem. Seriously, you should hurry if you still want to get a chance to talk to him. The poster said this opera is three hours long.”

“Oh! Right, right...” He looked around, feeling as disoriented as though he hadn’t collectively spent hours upon hours waiting in front of this very building in the past. “T-Thanks, I guess.”

“In case we don’t run into each other again before this week ends, I’m looking forward to seeing the two of you in Inazuma next time around. Let us hope matters do move along until then. Either way, I’m sure someone from inside the Fortress will inform me in advance, so... don’t disappoint me.”

“I’ll... do my best.” He said, through clenched teeth nonetheless. What exactly did the word ‘disappoint’ convey in this context? Now that he had this new source of support as well as pressure, he was really starting to get cold feet. But, maybe that was exactly the kind of pressure he needed. “H-Hey, I’m still kinda worried about that head of yours. Could you maybe ask Elphane or another Melusine to walk you back to the hotel so Neuvillette and I don’t spend the whole night worrying?”

“Will do.” Already on his way, Ayato looked over his shoulder and gave him a short wave. “Enjoy your date, Wriothesley.”

Finally, he stopped using that stupid title every sentence, he thought, and began to head back inside the Opera Épiclèse.

To call it a ‘date’ was probably also an example of wishful thinking, but he would never say no to a nice night out with a good... friend.

This time, he couldn’t blow it.

Chapter Text

Once Wriothesley had made it back inside the opera, it didn’t take him much time to find Neuvillette by the cloakroom’s entrance or, more accurately, he was found by the judge who ran up to him in a hurry:

“There you are! You took so long, I was beginning to worry something serious happened, but I couldn’t leave the line... I did manage to secure exclusive balcony seats for us though, so it should be—“ Neuvillette paused, finally noticing that Wriothesley returned alone. “And where’s Ayato? Is he still—“

“He’s doing fine, don’t worry about that. But, umm... once his symptoms passed, he felt kind of tired, so he chose to go back to his hotel room.”

“And you let him?!” He exclaimed, making Wriothesley jump; for some strange reason, he was feeling like the unfaithful spouse here. “He shouldn’t be taking such a long route in the dark alone if he’s unwell...”

“I-I said he’s good! I wouldn’t let him go if he wasn’t. I told him to have the Melusines escort him back just in case, and he agreed.”

“The Melusines...? Hmm, well... I suppose he’ll be in good hands, then...” Though hesitant, at the end of the day there was no one the Iudex trusted more than his own familiars, and he had to admit it whether he wanted to or not. “Oh, what an unfortunate day. I forgot our meeting, you’re in low spirits, Ayato had an accident, now this...”

Seeing his sullen mood was far from unexpected, but it made Wriothesley want to clarify before taking any further steps. “Do you... still want to see the opera with me?”

And what a relief it was to then see him look up at him with a slightly surprised but much, much brighter expression almost instantly.

“Of course. Come to think about it, it’s been a while since the two of us had gone to the opera together, so I’m very much looking forward to it. It’s only upsetting that our friend couldn’t join us, when he was so excited about experiencing Fontainian arts... Did he say anything before leaving?”

“He told us to enjoy our date.” He said, partially out of curiosity about what would happen if he brought it up, but mostly due to the fact his own long tongue betrayed him before he could stop it. “H-His words, not mine. I’m only quoting. I think he’s still sticking by whatever absurd version of the truth he’d imagined back at the café, heh...”

He held his breath, looking out for even the slightest changes in Neuvillette’s expression or mood, but he was disappointed to find that it remained as bland as Sigewinne’s health meals.

“Oh. Well, that shouldn’t be a problem.” He replied after a moment, and began heading towards the cloakroom. “In the past, I’ve always greatly enjoyed each and every one of our dates. This one should be no different.”

“O-Our wha—“ At first, he was stumped in shock, but soon, his reason started kicking in. The Neuvillette he knew and loved would’ve never announced something like that so nonchalantly if he actually had any serious feelings towards him. He’d sooner schedule an official meeting to discuss it, or send a memorandum... Therefore, it must’ve been another foolish case of miscommunication. Objectively, the Hydro dragon was a little bit... old, and not exactly active on the dating scene as of late. Surely, that word must’ve meant a much more casual type of meeting in the past than it did in modern day, he thought and chose to settle on this justification for his own mental wellbeing. “No, that’s not what it...”

Before he could finish the sentence, the two of them reached the cloakroom’s check-in desk and with that, he decided it wasn’t worth souring the mood even further over such a petty misunderstanding.

Having left their heavy shopping bags behind, they began climbing the stairs to the second floor.

“Tell me, Wriothesley—“ Neuvillette asked, “What do you make of Ayato? Did you find him likable?”

If only he knew how great the timing of this question was; had he asked him only an hour earlier, the poor Iudex would be in for an extremely rude awakening.

“Yeah, I guess. He’s a... he’s a decent man.” Wriothesley replied, smiling to himself at the irony of it. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s a cunning, handsome devil. He’s always either in your head or scheming to find the best way to get inside it. There’s more than he lets on, that’s for sure. He’s not to be reckoned with, but... I’d say that at heart, he’s good. Not as bad as some people would paint him, definitely.”

“That’s a fair judgment, though I do find it a bit... amusing. From the moment I met him, he’s always reminded me of you, actually, and your description makes that hard to argue with. I’ve been hoping that the two of you would get along, so I’m glad that is the case in the end.”

But what an unfair judgment that was!

“Of me?! I... I don’t see any resemblance.” Wriothesley pouted, feeling that his pride just got wounded more severely that the Inazuman’s cracked forehead. He was nothing like that obnoxious guy! For one, he did not have that creepy, cat-like smile glued to his face the whole time, even when he didn’t feel like smiling. In fact, he only wore his genuine smile for Neuvillette. That was different. He had dignity and self-respect!

Neuvillette quietly laughed at him, and still looked tickled a few minutes later, once they took their long-awaited seats. The balcony was quite high and probably wouldn’t offer the most premium view of the performers’ faces, but they had it all to themselves, which was greatly appreciated.

“What about you? Now that we’re alone... what’s your opinion on our curious Mr. Kamisato?” He returned the question, and it was one he wished he could’ve asked hours earlier; it would’ve spared him indescribable amounts of torment, surely. “Another day, you should retell the story of how the two of you met. I hate to admit it, but... I think I might’ve not paid enough attention the first time you did. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry. Some stories get better once they’re told a second time.” He said, sending him a smile that was powerful enough to sweep an entire army of gods off their feet. “Like I’ve mentioned before, he is a reliable and handy ally to have, a kind man, and I honestly admire his impeccable manners and diligence. He also has a certain sense of... lightness about him, doesn’t he? I envy him somewhat. Despite the amount of duties on his shoulders, he still remains, umm... ‘fun’.” The way that word slipped through his throat, it sounded like profanity. His face suddenly dropped into one of regret. “I too wish I had such ability...”

Wriothesley could barely believe his ears. More envy? Archons have mercy! The three of them were an absolute mess.

Or maybe it was just... everyone. Nobody was perfect, as they said. It was only that he’s never noticed it until now. And here he thought he’d already seen all of humanity’s ugliest faces.

“You’re as fun as it gets Neuvillette, at least for me. Don’t you ever change.” He reassured him, feeling his own anxieties take second fiddle if only to make the other more confident. Their eyes met and lingered on each other for half a minute before Neuvillette abruptly turned away, flustered:

“Self-improvement is not necessarily bad.... I-I suppose...”

Using the time it took for them to compose themselves, Wriothesley had a peek below. Most of the seats have filled up already, but there wasn’t a trace of movement from behind the curtains, nor was a single note of music being played just yet.

They were on a good conversational streak; apparently, Neuvillette trusted him enough to confide one of his rare insecurities in him with almost no hesitation. The longer he thought about it, the more he felt like he owed him the truth, too. At the very least, the safest version of it.

Additionally, there was one more thing that acted as a thorn in his side, even despite the explanations he’s heard thus far.

He would risk it, he decided.

“You know, Neuvillette... I was also a bit jealous because of Ayato today. And you... might’ve actually been a part of the reason.”

“M-Me? Why would that be?”

“Eh, this feels so embarrassing to say out loud... but it started when you missed our meeting, only for me to learn that you were spending that time with Ayato instead. And then... when you were introducing him to me, you called him your friend, yet didn’t do the same for me... and I ended up spending the day watching the two of you enjoying yourselves. N-None of it is your fault, though, right? Just a series of dumb accidents, so please don’t take it that way. It doesn’t make much sense, but it made me feel a bit... left out.”

Everyone in the nation of Justice always repeated ad nauseam that being truthful is the best choice a person can make, even when said truth has the potential to hurt someone. Somehow though, he was overcome with regret almost as soon as he’d opened his sorry mouth. Was this supposed to benefit Neuvillette, whom he just indirectly blamed, or his own conscience? If anything, any chances he might’ve had have gone up in flames after he admitted to being an insecure loser.

Well, maybe... in some way it was the tiniest bit cathartic, too.

He leaned forward, resting his arms on the balcony’s railing – or melting into it, rather, wondering how disruptive to the show it would be if he jumped from it and broke his stupid neck.

“You... did? Could that be why you were feeling bad today, when I forced you to come along with us...? I knew something was... Oh, I’m so sorry. I promise I had no idea that it would impact—“ Neuvillette started, looking more worried than ever before, committing what could only be described as panicked verbal flailing. Wriothesley had to do some damage control, and quickly. He’s already apologized to him enough that day, when he didn’t need to in the first place.

Pretty as those dragon eyes were, he hated to see them pitying him.

“No, no, no, don’t pity me... please. It was so damn stupid and childish to begin with. No one was at fault here, except me. It’s not like you get to entertain such important guests every day, right? He deserved every last minute you had given him, and then some. I’m over it now, seriously. Just wanted to be honest, but... since we’re in a theater, I probably should leave drama to the actors, heh.”

Neuvillette didn’t look like he wished to abandon the topic, but evidently he wasn’t sure what to say, either. It probably wasn’t every day that he had a possessive mutt clinging to his leg like that. After shuffling around his seat for a minute, he too began to stare at the crowd below, tuning into their excited buzz.

“I do appreciate your honesty.” He muttered after a while, and Wriothesley had to do everything in his might not to let out an audible groan. He was already bracing himself to be swathed with kindness and understanding he fairly didn’t deserve, but was surprised when Neuvillette continued: “I suppose I should never underestimate your shrewdness, either. I can’t say that it was planned – rather, something I said out of habit, but there is indeed a reason as to why I avoid referring to you as my ‘friend’.”

“O-Oh...? So, why is that? Is there some kind of a special requirement one needs to fulfill to receive that honor from the Iudex?” He made sure to keep his tone humorous, though only because if he didn’t, he might’ve actually started weeping, at least internally. “Sorry, it’s none of my business. I don’t mind. It’s just... after all those years, I really thought we’re something—“

“No, that’s not it.” He quickly dismantled yet another attempt at self-pity, thus successfully shutting him up for a while. Himself, Neuvillette looked troubled and hesitant, as revealed by his hands nervously fidgeting on top of his lap. “You... You know I’ve lived for a long time, and over the course of these centuries I’ve met many people I called my friends. My first friend was very special, and so was the tenth. By the time it came to the hundredth...” He sighed, and looked up at him. Whatever it was about his gaze, Wriothesley instantly froze under its influence. “Of course, I value them all greatly to this day, and miss those who have passed. There’s not a single name I’ve forgotten, as unbelievable as it may sound. However, it’s difficult to deny that when you’ve seen countless faces, even bestowing someone with you trust and affection, as you would to a friend, becomes a commodified process. There’s hardly anything new in it. It therefore makes sense that when something new does occur, the old process is similarly no longer applicable, and... errr...”

For a moment, Wriothesley truly believed he was following, as he normally would when Neuvillette went on one of his lovable rants. The longer he listened, however, the less he understood and from the looks of it, this was the case even for the speaker himself. It really wasn’t often that the Iudex would lose his pep halfway through a speech.

In order to give them a fresh start, the Duke cleared his throat. Loudly.

“Ahem, not to sound ignorant but... is there a chance you could use slightly... simpler terms?”

“Yes. Right...” As if he was reading his mind, Neuvillette immediately grabbed onto the lifesaver provided. “What I really meant to convey was that I’ve met many people, and many of them I called my friends, but... I’ve only ever met one Wriothesley. And thus, rather than simply being my ‘friend’ you are, as they would say, ‘in a league of your own’.”

Hearing that, Wriothesley realized that getting swathed in kindness and understanding may not have actually been so bad after all. One could’ve even called this ‘affection’, too. Because that had to have been a compliment, right? Possibly the most sincere one he’s ever received. It nearly made his old, cold heart flutter, and definitely knocked the air out of him at first. It would appear that Neuvillette also wasn’t too fond of the term ‘friend’ for reasons very similar to his... granted, he probably didn’t put as many hopes into the fact as he did.

Sitting there, at the opera, with the time to reflect on it, made him wonder what did he ever do to deserve such special treatment from the Iudex? Even after that harrowing day, Wriothesley wasn’t so insecure as to believe he had no merits. He was a good administrator and decently smart, he’d give himself that, but he failed to see what it was about his person that Neuvillette valued so much otherwise. The only thing he had to offer was his endless loyalty. That couldn’t have been enough.

Frankly, even after many years of close friendship he still had no idea how and why did he get to that place with someone who was this important to Fontaine. Some days, he still felt like lost little orphan.

Come to think about it, the two of them always got along, and on the rare occasions they didn’t, they managed to find their way out of disagreements peacefully; he also liked to think they both felt pretty safe and comfortable around each other. That was all there was to it.

Maybe... it really was enough.

“Oh, wow... haha, sheesh. Thank you.” It turned out he was still struggling to find his words minutes later, scratching the back of his head so nervously he’d made himself bleed. “I’m honored to hear it. For the record, the sentiment is returned.”

“Yes, I would assume it is rather difficult to meet another Hydro dragon within a single lifetime.” Neuvillette teased him, suddenly feeling extra cheeky. “Considering that we’ve... gone extinct.”

“Oh, shush. I would feel the same even if you were the most regular, run of the mill judge out there. You’ve changed the course of my whole life, Neuvillette. Of course you’re special.”

Once he started pouring his heart out, completely sober nonetheless, it was a slippery slope. Wriothesley found it hard to be genuine when no one else around him was. But Neuvillette – Neuvillette was always nothing but genuine. He was probably the only person he could say those things to without wanting to bury his head in the sand afterwards.

...

Too much, anyway.

“I-I hope... that’s also a good thing...” Neuvillette mumbled in response, covering the lower half of his face with his hand, but even in the dimmed light of the opera, it was easy to notice how flustered he was. Again. It seemed that Wriothesley has been unwittingly breaking him throughout that day, one chip at a time.

He didn’t particularly mind. The Iudex was extremely alluring when he was righteous and imposing, but even more so when he melted like a shard of Cryo left out in the warm rays of sunshine for too long.

Wriothesley let out a very satisfied and only slightly evil snicker, and leaned back, getting comfy in his seat. He wondered what else he could get out of him with a little bit of teasing, now that he’s got him all worked up.

“I know you said Ayato and I are similar, but I think the same applies to you and him too, only in different aspects. With your positions, knowledge, the approach to fulfilling your duties... The two of you are practically made for each other. At the very least, it seems like his company should suit you way more than mine. Maybe you should consider giving him his own league, too.” Though the words stung in his throat as he uttered them, he chose to endure it for the time being, if only to further solidify certain things. Perhaps he was just stroking his own ego by that point but hey, it wasn’t illegal.

“Hmm... This seems sudden, but I suppose I can see where you’re coming from. Our methods may vary to a degree, yet both Ayato and I take on similar roles and revolve on... similar orbits, if I can put it that way. Yes, that’s true. I must say, I enjoy spending my time with someone so likeminded... However, I’m firmly convinced that if I were to spend all of my time with him exclusively, neither of us would ever grow as people, merely bouncing our limited perspectives off one another. I would much rather exchange my ideas with someone who’s not afraid to challenge them.” He paused, looking around the room for further inspiration to fuel his train of though. Just then, the two of them were startled by the stage lights turning on, one after another. The bustling crowd downstairs began to simmer down. It wouldn’t be too long before the opera started. Remembering Ayato’s warnings, Wriothesley felt a little nervous about the imminent passage of time, as he’s made few interpersonal achievements so far; on the other hand, the change in atmosphere allowed Neuvillette to reach the breakthrough he needed: “Take these lights, for example, and their power source. Pneuma and Ousia are only able to achieve their perfect balance because they are completely opposite forces. As a result, this balance allows the society as a whole to move forward. It’s very much a good thing.”

Pneuma and Ousia, huh... Wriothesley liked that comparison.

“Sooo, you wouldn’t rather be on a ‘date’ with that dreamy Inazuman commissioner right now?” He pestered him one final time, convinced that receiving an answer that dispelled his worries would be good enough to call the day a success. The progress may have been slim, but at least one conflict was about to be resolved. He could enjoy the opera, and later plan his next step in peace.

But, to his surprise, things wouldn’t go as smoothly as he would have imagined.

Upon hearing his question, Neuvillette turned to him and stared for a while. His eyes were so wide and expression so stunned, he may as well have been drilling into his soul with them. Slowly, a single eyebrow rose.

That appalled gaze alone was enough to make Wriothesley feel like an absolute buffoon, though he did not yet know what for. The silence continued; his hands and forehead were starting to sweat. Finally, as he was about to cut through the unexpected tension and ask, it was the other who spoke up first:

“If I were with Ayato instead of you at this very moment... then, this could no longer be considered a ‘date’ now, would it?”

“Wha—?!”

The rest of his question got drowned out by the loud cacophony of instruments which signaled the start of the performance. It caught him so unprepared this time, he really almost flew over the railing just then. And yet, this wasn’t even close enough to the most perplexing emotion Wriothesley was experiencing at that moment.

“Shh!” Neuvillette pressed a finger to his lips, turning his head towards the stage and seemingly thinking nothing of the absolute bomb he’s just dropped. “It’s started. Let’s not cause a disturbance.”

Somehow, it was hard to believe the judge was concerned about the atmosphere in which they enjoyed the arts rather than making an excuse in order not to explain himself.

The singers began coming onto the stage but personally, Wriothesley could not care less about the tragic fate of the Seelie queen. His was far more dramatic!

Did he even understand that right? He had to analyze it pragmatically, word by word.

If he were with Ayato, it wouldn’t be a date... so, what made this meeting a date was the fact that he ended up alone with Wriothesley? What the hell did that mean?! That man would seriously drive him insane, and soon!

Earlier, he said he’d enjoyed the dates the two of them had gone on, despite the fact that Wriothesley did not remember ever inviting him on one, or being invited, for that matter... at least not openly. He was quick to dismiss it as a mistake, thinking the Iudex used it as a general word to refer to friendly meetings, but this no longer applied, clearly. Well, unless his definition was even more twisted than that...

No. Neuvillette might not have been a social butterfly either, but he wasn’t dumb. He dealt with all kinds of human tragedies on the daily. Surely, after four hundred years he would’ve picked up on what the word ‘date’ actually entailed! This has been a fragile excuse to begin with.

Of course, it would’ve been much easier to go ahead and ask him what did ‘date’ mean to him, but that would be about as classless as it could get. Even a prison administrator had the slightest idea of what was and wasn’t romantic. So...

...

That’s right. The Hydro Sovereign wasn’t an idiot. Simply because he chose to be straightforward most of the time did not mean he wasn’t capable of sending subtle hints. It was just that Wriothesley himself was so used to relying on those himself whenever he fooled around and flirted with his favorite dragon, the other’s efforts paled in comparison.

Another option was that he got completely blinded by his deep denial, insisting that his feelings could never be reciprocated. He hated to admit it, he truly did, but there were times when he pretended not to see certain things.

It was a scary fucking thought.

And yet, it wasn’t fear that made his heart and breath race after hearing Neuvillette call that night a date.

He opened his mouth, but realized that not only did he not know what to say, he wasn’t sure whether that was the time and place to say anything to begin with. The performers have already started singing. Excuses aside, Neuvillette did actually dislike being interrupted during a show.

Either way, Wriothesley did not fully trust himself to be good with words on that particular day and all the revelations it had brought along. The last thing he wanted was to mess this up.

Alas, he couldn’t help yearning for... something.

Before making any groundbreaking decisions, he decided to let his head cool down. He spent the next twenty or so minutes silently enjoying the opera, at least to the extent he was able to. Beneath his peaceful repose, his mind was hard at work as per usual; the cogs turning were very much fitting the industrialist that he was.

It would take him until much, much later to admit it, but he was secretly grateful for the encouragement Ayato had given him before they parted. Though he spent that whole day agonizing over losing Neuvillette, he was nearly sure that if it wasn’t for the imminent threat of Inazuman spies taking him out in the event of failure, he’d have ended that night as he did every prior ‘date’ – that is by doing nothing at all.

Of course, he was just making jokes to himself by that point, as his own way of giving himself a much needed inner pep talk.

The worries he had conveyed to his rival were more relevant than ever, but at the same time, he never wanted to go through the anxieties of that day again – and that could only be achieved by letting Neuvillette know the exact things he regretted not telling him earlier.

Well, if only those spies could tell him what to say; after wracking his brain for another couple of songs, he still had no good ideas.

As he watched the singers perform, he realized that he could barely understand a third of the words they were saying, but the story of the opera seemed quite obvious based on the set dressing and acting alone. And then, it randomly struck him: if he couldn’t convey his feelings with his voice, perhaps acts could speak even louder. All he needed to do was to let Neuvillette know that to him, this could also be a ‘date’. That he was not, nor would he ever be a... ‘friend’.

He took a quick glance at him. The man’s eyes were fixed on the stage, enthralled by the performance, but the stiff way in which he sat was almost comically proper; both of his hands were placed on the armrests, without even an inch of a frilly sleeve sticking out from its designated area.

...

Wriothesley inhaled deeply, and kept the air in. If he could take down countless men with his bare hands, he should also be able to gently hold one.

Slowly and shakily, he reached out and covered the top of Neuvillette’s right hand with his left, much as the latter did at the café earlier. He made sure to give it a light squeeze; this time, it couldn’t be written off as an accident by either of them.

He could’ve sworn his entire life flashed before his eyes yet again as he anticipated the other’s reaction. The rousing, dramatic melodies coming from below only made the tension worse.

He was waiting for Neuvillette to twitch and withdraw, to turn towards him and give him a look, to say something, anything. Wriothesley held his breath in for so long he must’ve started going blue in the face.

But... minute after minute passed and Neuvillette was not, in fact, withdrawing. Could he have not noticed...? Wriothesley peeked at him once more, but he didn’t seem to have budged a smidge since the last time he had checked on him. As such, he was eventually forced to breathe again, letting out a resigned sigh that was thankfully covered up by the loudness of the orchestra.

Before the rest of his body could similarly relax, he tensed up all over again. The hand has moved.

His heart sank so low, it may as well have drowned in the Primordial Sea. Neuvillette must’ve carefully considered his nonverbal proposal, and now that he’s made up his mind, he would definitely take his hand back, right?

Wrong, again.

Instead, he merely turned it around so that their fingers could more easily intertwine and tightened the grip.

...

They were holding hands, alright. It might’ve actually been the first time he’s properly done it, Wriothesley thought. Whatever questionable adventures he’s had in the past, neither the streets nor the prison were the place where people bothered with such cutesy gestures.

But, ultimately, it was quite nice.

If he still had any doubts about Neuvillette’s intentions by that point, he also leaned into him, pressing his arm against his. That, too, was nice and warm. Though both of them were shy and hesitant about it at first, two hours into the lengthy opera, the Iudex was practically resting his entire head on his shoulder. His eyes were closed and his expression so serene one could’ve assumed he’d fallen asleep, but Wriothesley knew he was still intently listening to the opera, trying to spot subtle differences in the melodies he’d heard hundreds of times before.

Miraculously, their hands managed to stay entwined the entire time. Even during the breaks between acts, they were among the few who had not moved from their seats, perhaps scared that they wouldn’t dare to reach for each other a second time.

For how great those three hours were, they felt like they’d passed far too quickly. That being said, when the time came to finally rise, the Duke’s back couldn’t have been less grateful for him serving as someone’s cushion for so long.

They didn’t talk much during the opera, or after. Even so, though Wriothesley felt slightly embarrassed and awestruck, the overall atmosphere didn’t feel nearly as awkward as before. They’d still have time to discuss that day’s events after they’d slept on it. Small steps. Very small, but steps regardless.

When Neuvillette walked him out towards the tunnel leading to the Fortress, the moon was already high on the sky. From the looks of it, it must’ve rained after all, with slippery puddles scattered throughout the area. Hopefully, Ayato had managed to avoid it.

Judging by how happy Neuvillette seemed, with the glowing tips of his rhinophores illuminating the way as he followed him, it really must’ve been the doing of nature this time. How ironic, Wriothesley thought.

By the time they said their goodbyes the same way they usually would, he had made peace with the thought that this wouldn’t be the night he told Neuvillette how much he truly loved him. That was fine. Frankly, after a day this intense, a finale like that had a very real potential to kill him. His strained heart would simply give out.

His concerns had not magically gone away, either. Despite the sweet smile on his face, he had no doubts that the Chief Justice of Fontaine also struggled with the thought of breaching his vows of eternal impartiality so suddenly.

Again, it was fine. If things went even partially according to his wishes, they’d still have many dates to spare for discussing those less pleasant details. This was only a start to what would hopefully blossom before they took the trip to Inazuma in the future.

“Wriothesley?”

Thinking their outing was over for good, he has already begun to step down the stairs into the tunnel, only to stop upon hearing Neuvillette’s final call.

“Yes? Did you forget something?”

Neuvillette made his way back over to him, but stopped abruptly, as if someone had flipped a switch. He nevertheless quickly shook it off and didn’t care to address Wriothesley’s questioning stare before innocently asking:

“Are you... are you feeling any better now? After the hurt I have caused you?”

Wriothesley sighed so deeply his soul nearly left his body.

“What? Are you still hung up on that? Relax, I’m begging you. I feel great, I swear. I guess... a great date does that to you.” He risked it again, but it seemed like the two of them have already crossed that bridge. Now, there were very few risks left to take.

“Is that so...? I’m glad.” He smiled, looking quite faint himself, and then reached out for his hand again. “Though, I still believe you should get some good rest... or you might not live to see the next one.”

This... would take a while to get used to.

“Is that a threat?” His eyes narrowed with suspicion, but it was far from enough to break Neuvillette’s own cunning spirit. The innocent smile wouldn’t wane. “Alright, fine, fine. Just don’t pull a Sigewinne and feed me any milkshakes... or that ‘boba’ thing, for that matter. I’ll go straight to bed, sleep until noon, and dream about you all the way through. How does that sound?”

Aaaand, he broke him. Thank the gods. He was beginning to think he’d lost it.

“A-About me? W-What would that even... entail?”

Wriothesley conveniently chose to ignore the question.

“Honestly though, you’re not one to be lecturing me about good sleeping habits. When was the last time you got a full night of sleep, hm? Before sliced bread was invented?”

In return, Neuvillette conveniently omitted his question, too.

“I... shouldn’t have any problems falling asleep, at least.” He said, taking a few steps back and folding his arms behind his back before directing his gaze towards the night sky. “See...? The moon looks quite exquisite tonight, wouldn’t you agree? You probably know that in Fontaine, the tides are especially high during a full moon like this. That tends to put my mind at ease.”

The moon was indeed beautiful that night, glowing brightly above. It wasn’t a sight Wriothesley got to see every day, so he appreciated it, but at the end of the day, it was only a silver orb. He found the sight before him much more breathtaking.

“Well then. Talk to you after we get some rest?” He asked casually, though what he really meant to imply was the imminent conversation that awaited them after they had fully taken in the events of that day.

Neuvillette nodded and turned away, ready to leave a second time. He followed suit.

Alas, just as he was about to set his foot on top of the stairs again...

“Oh. Right. I did forget... One more thing.”

Wriothesley had to roll his eyes. “What now? Hah, can’t you get enough of me or wha—“

As soon as he’d turned around, Neuvillette materialized in front of him out of seemingly nowhere, grabbed his shoulders and left a peck on his cheek.

It was a fairly delicate gesture; merely a small brush of his lips against his face. It hardly left him wanting, though – that is, its subtlety might’ve been for the best. He wasn’t sure what he would do if it were anything more than it was. Faith alone seemed to have kept him from tumbling down those stairs then and there.

“Goodnight.” Neuvillette said so matter-of-factly he sounded as if he was crossing things off his to-do list, and then turned around, walking away in a hurry. Great hurry. He might’ve actually been running away from him.

“G-Good... night...” Wriothesley stuttered out with a delay so awful it was unlikely his words were heard by anyone but the seagulls that were laughing at him.

‘Goodnight’... ‘goodnight’...

What a cruel joke!

If what happened just then wasn’t enough to keep him up at night for the rest of that week, then it surely was the knowledge that at some point, inevitably, he would have to face Kamisato Ayato again and admit that the bloody bastard was right.