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· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·
Neuvillette startles when he hears the knocking against the doors of his office, breaking the unusual silence in the deserted Palais Mermonia.
He frowns, wondering who could be asking for him on a holiday.
Neuvillette sighs dejectedly. So much for taking advantage of the holiday to catch up on the mountain of paperwork he is running behind on.
“Come in,” says Neuvillette loudly as he puts down his pen, getting ready to deal with the sudden emergency.
The doors open, and Neuvillette’s eyes widen in surprise upon seeing none other than the Duke of Meropide enter his office. Wriothesley’s hair is speckled with snowflakes, and his cheeks are rosy from the cold. It makes him look a bit younger, and devilishly handsome as usual.
“Wriothesley? Is something wrong in the fortress?” asks Neuvillette as he stands up from behind his desk.
Wriothesley rarely visits the surface outside of their regular meetings, which obviously they don’t have scheduled today since Neuvillette, just like every other staff member of Palais Mermonia, is supposed to be on leave.
The Duke doesn’t stop in front of Neuvillette’s desk. He circles it to stand right next to the Iudex, forcing the latter to look slightly up to meet Wriothesley’s icy eyes.
Wriothesley folds his arms over his chest. His expression is stern as he stares down at Neuvillette, but his eyes hold the same gentleness as always when he looks at the Chief Justice.
“Nothing’s wrong on my part. I should be the one asking you this question,” says Wriothesley with a raised eyebrow.
Neuvillette frowns. “I fail to understand.”
Wriothesley sighs. “Why are you working on your birthday, Neuvi? A holiday,” chastises the Duke.
Neuvillette is suddenly thrown back in time a year ago, with almost the exact same scenario. Wriothesley had scolded him then too for burning the midnight oil the evening before his birthday. He remembers vividly what came after, how the very foundation of their relationship had changed over a bottle of spiced wine in front of the fireplace.
Neuvillette turns his gaze away, not able to withstand the displeasure aimed at him. His fingers fidget over the papers scattered on his desk.
“Why should I not? My birthday is just a day like any other, and there is much work to be done,” argues the Iudex.
Neuvillette’s breath hitches when Wriothesley curls his fingers around his hand, stopping his fidgeting. The warmth of Wriothesley’s hand permeates through his glove, and Neuvillette’s heart stutters.
Wriothesley takes one step closer. His other hand gently grips Neuvillette’s chin and turns his face so their eyes can meet again.
“Not when you’re only hanging by a thread. You’re exhausted, Neuvi. You need a break, more than anybody I know,” whispers Wriothesley softly.
Neuvillette is rooted in place, just like every time Wriothesley touches him tenderly like this.
Ever since the Iudex’s last birthday, their relationship had entered murky waters. How could it not, after Wriothesley had revealed the affection he carries for Neuvillette in his heart? After they had exchanged a sweet kiss in front of the fire?
While Wriothesley had promised Neuvillette he would wait for him, Neuvillette has yet to come to a decision regarding what he should do about his own feelings for Wriothesley. It has been a year, and Wriothesley has not brought the subject up again.
Neuvillette feels awful for not giving him an answer yet. With the prophecy coming and going shortly after, and Neuvillette subsequently taking up the mantle of leader of the nation atop his own duties, he has been busier than ever this last year.
It still isn’t a valid excuse for making Wriothesley wait.
Truth be told, Neuvillette is petrified by the idea of what could go wrong should they become a couple. He feels stuck in limbo, unable to come to a decision, fearing losing Wriothesley one way or another no matter what he chooses.
But despite being made to wait, Wriothesley doesn’t push Neuvillette for an answer. He seems content to shower the Iudex with the sweetest of affection behind closed doors; a kiss on the Iudex’s knuckles or on the cheek, tucking silver hair behind a pointed ear, the sweetest of pet names that never fail to fluster Neuvillette…
Neuvillette feels selfish for drinking it all greedily without giving anything in return because of his crippling fears.
“I assure you that I am fine, Wriothesley. There is no need to worry,” says Neuvillette quietly.
He knows Wriothesley can see the dark bags under his eyes, and the tenseness in his shoulders.
He knows the Duke can read through his lie. Neuvillette has never been a good liar.
As expected, Wriothesley doesn’t buy it. His hand drops from Neuvillette’s chin to rest on his shoulder instead. “Neuvi, sweetheart, listen to me,” he implores.
The pet name causes Neuvillette’s cheeks to flush. He mutely nods.
Wriothesley brings Neuvillette’s hand to his lips and presses a tender kiss to his clothed knuckles, which only flusters the Iudex more.
Wriothesley’s eyes are fierce as he speaks; “It’s just us here. There is no need to hide behind the infallible facade of the Iudex. I can see how tired you are, and your Melusines see it too. They are all worried about you. Let me take care of you, please. At least for today. I’ll also help you with whatever paperwork I’m allowed to. What do you say?”
Wriothesley’s care towards him moves Neuvillette beyond words. He is the only human in centuries who has truly looked past the facade of Iudex to see the man - dragon - behind it. Neuvillette isn’t used to being seen and cared for coming from someone other than his Melusines.
His value, as far as humans are concerned, has always been held in what he can give others, in the justice and leadership he represents. Neuvillette didn’t realize how painful and exhausting it can be before Wriothesley came around, showing him that Neuvillette matters too.
Neuvillette struggles to accept this gentle treatment sometimes. Doesn’t know if he’s worthy of it.
Wriothesley is looking at him with so much tenderness right now that it makes Neuvillette’s heart melt. “Please, Neuvi. Don’t be a stubborn dragon,” pleads Wriothesley with a hint of humor.
Neuvillette smiles shyly. “I suppose I can take a break for the day,” he concedes.
The Iudex finds it hard to refuse Wriothesley anything.
Wriothesley grins. Next thing Neuvillette knows, his hand is cradled in Wriothesley’s bigger one, and he is pulled towards the entrance of his office.
“Great! Let’s get you out of this stuffy office then!” exclaims Wriothesley, looking like a man on a mission.
Neuvillette chuckles despite himself. He might regret abandoning his mountain of paperwork when he comes back to it later, but witnessing how happy Wriothesley looks right now, regret is the last thing on his mind.
“I am in your hands, Wriothesley.”
Wherever Wriothesley goes, Neuvillette will be happy to follow.
· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·
Of all the places Neuvillette imagined Wriothesley taking him, he never could have guessed their destination.
“Merusea Village?” says Neuvillette, surprised, as they walk towards the small lake hiding the entrance of the secret village of the Melusines.
Wriothesley smiles at Neuvillette. He tugs at his hand as he quickens his pace, the snow crunching under their shoes.
“Come on!”
Neuvillette lets himself be pulled into the cold water, and both men plunge underwater, letting the currents bring them underneath Beryl and into the tunnels leading to Merusea Village.
As soon as they are out of the water, the Iudex immediately pulls the moisture from their clothes before they can freeze on them. Thankfully, the tunnels, being underground, run a lot warmer than the surface on this mid-December day, which keeps both men relatively warm as they begin walking through the tunnels.
“I had no idea you knew where the village resides,” says Neuvillette with curiosity.
Wriothesley had never mentioned going there before. Neuvillette was under the impression that no human alive knew of its location.
The Traveler excluded, of course.
Wriothesley squeezes Neuvillette’s hand and throws him a secretive smile. “Well, I do happen to have a Melusine working at the fortress.”
Ah, of course. Neuvillette sometimes forgets how close Sigewinne and Wriothesley are. It always warms his heart when he is reminded of their bond.
“How is Sigewinne doing? I have not seen her for a while,” asks the Iudex as they are about to emerge into Merusea Village. He can’t wait to see all of his dear Melusines living in the village, it’s been so long since he visited.
Wriothesley chuckles. “Why don’t you ask her yourself?” he says with amusement just as they step foot into the village.
Neuvillette is startled when Melusines jump out from their hiding places behind their small houses. They exclaim excitedly as they run towards them; “Happy birthday, Monsieur Neuvillette!!”
Neuvillette is instantly swarmed by countless Melusines, each one trying to have their turn hugging him. Neuvillette is delightfully surprised to see not just the residents from Merusea Village either; Sigewinne is among the crowd, along with many of the Melusines living above ground.
Seeing them all wearing happy smiles, overjoyed to be wishing him a happy birthday fills Neuvillette’s heart with bottomless warmth and joy. He doesn’t regret one bit following Wriothesley’s whim.
Neuvillette hugs as many of the Melusines clinging to him as he can, and he chuckles joyfully. “Thank you everyone. Your presence alone makes this day unforgettable.”
Sedene grabs his hand and pulls on it. “Hehe, come on!! Come open your gifts!!” she exclaims with excitement.
Sigewinne grabs his other hand and Neuvillette lets himself be pulled along as the Melusines run towards the center of the village. Wriothesley walks by his side, and the Iudex gazes at him.
“Were you the one behind this, Wriothesley?” asks Neuvillette, his voice filled with awe.
Wriothesley grins. “I might have had a hand in it.”
Neuvillette is touched by Wriothesley’s care and attentiveness, going so far as to rope the Melusines from the surface into his plan for Neuvillette’s sake, to make sure his birthday feels special.
What a sweet man he is.
“Thank you,” says Neuvillette with a grateful smile.
“You’re welcome,” replies Wriothesley, looking very pleased with himself.
When they arrive in the center of the village, Neuvillette sees a plethora of chairs set up in a circle, with a mountain of gifts in the middle. It makes Neuvillette smile.
Neuvillette is guided towards the chairs, and he chuckles when he sees Serene and Menthe pull Wriothesley along too, prompting him to sit on the chair right next to Neuvillette.
Sedene sits on Neuvillette’s other side, while Sigewinne decides to plop herself on Wriothesley’s knees, to the latter’s fake protests. Neuvillette can see by the Duke’s smile and the fondness in his eyes that he doesn’t mind the Melusine climbing in his lap.
Neuvillette is immediately presented with gift after gift from his overexcited Melusines. The gifts are awkwardly wrapped, but the Iudex doesn’t mind it at all. He knows how much care has been put into finding gifts for him, and the gesture is all that matters.
Each gift he opens brings a smile to his lips. While most people probably wouldn’t care about mechanical parts, crudely made paintings or colorful conches, to Neuvillette these are his most precious treasures.
They are given with love by his Melusines, whom he considers his daughters, after all.
Neuvillette takes great care in thanking all of them for their wonderful gifts, stroking their hair and earning pleased giggles in return.
When the Iudex finally finishes opening all the presents in the pile, Wriothesley clears his throat to gain his attention.
Neuvillette’s eyes go wide as he sees a neatly wrapped gift cradled in Wriothesley’s hands, being presented to him.
“This one is from me and Sige,” says Wriothesley with a lopsided smile. Sigewinne smiles and giggles happily from her place still perched on Wriothesley’s knees.
“Oh, you didn’t have to do this,” says Neuvillette softly.
“We wanted to! Come on, open it!” exclaims Sigewinne, excitement dripping from her voice.
Neuvillette takes the gift with slightly trembling fingers, and he is extra careful as he rips off the wrapping paper.
In his hands is a small red box. Neuvillette opens it and he gasps at what he sees inside.
It’s a silver pocket watch. There is a water dragon carved into the cover. It’s magnificent, but it’s nothing compared to what’s hidden inside the pocket watch. When Neuvillette flips the watch open, he sees a picture tucked inside the cover.
The picture depicts the smiling faces of Wriothesley and Sigewinne staring at the camera. Sigewinne’s face is smushed against Wriothesley’s cheek from the way he holds her tightly, and stuck on the Duke’s opposite cheek is a shark sticker from Sigewinne’s collection.
Neuvillette is incredibly moved by the sweet gift. To carry a reminder of two people he cherishes dearly on him at all times…
“I… I don’t know what to say. This is such a thoughtful gift,” says Neuvillette as he gazes at Wriothesley and Sigewinne.
Wriothesley looks embarrassed, rubbing his nape as he smiles almost shyly. Sigewinne looks incredibly happy.
“This way, His Grace and I will always be with you wherever you go!!” says the Melusine excitedly, and her words are punctuated with delighted giggles from her sisters.
Neuvillette closes the pocket watch and holds it close to his heart. He smiles as he says softly; “I love it. I will treasure this gift. Thank you both.”
Neuvillette doesn’t know if he imagines the sudden dusting of pink on Wriothesley’s cheeks. The Duke clears his throat and stands up quickly, sitting Sigewinne on the chair he was just occupying.
“I think it’s time for cake now! Cosanzeana, Xana, I’ll need your help!” exclaims Wriothesley as he walks away towards one of the Melusines’ houses. The two Melusines run after him, holding his hands when they catch up to him, and Neuvillette watches Wriothesley’s retreating back with a fond smile.
It isn’t long before the group comes back, holding a tray with a massive cake on it.
As Neuvillette is being presented with the cake, the Melusines begin singing happy birthday to him, and it is a chaotic, out of tune mess. It makes the Iudex laugh softly, overwhelmed by the love surrounding him in that moment.
Neuvillette meets Wriothesley’s eyes when he blows the candles, making a wish like the silly tradition demands even if he does not believe in such things.
I wish for the wellbeing of all the people of Fontaine, but especially for everyone I cherish.
Wriothesley grins while the Melusines clap happily, jumping in place and demanding slices of cake.
The Duke gets straight to the task, in charge of cutting the cake. He gives the first slice to Neuvillette.
“I made sure the cake wasn’t too dry for you, Monsieur,” says Wriothesley with a soft chuckle.
Neuvillette’s cheeks warm up at the reminder of his particular palate. Wriothesley teases him playfully about it anytime the occasion comes.
The Iudex picks up on what Wriothesley’s words implied. “You made the cake?” he asks with surprise, his gaze traveling from the cake to Wriothesley’s face.
Wriothesley rubs the back of his neck again. “I had some help, but yeah. It was mostly my doing. I know it’s not perfect, but I gave it my all. At least it should taste okay!”
Nonsense. The cake looks delicious, despite the clumsy decorations on the icing. Neuvillette is impressed. He had no idea Wriothesley could bake.
Neuvillette probably should wait until Wriothesley has served everyone - the poor man is swarmed with Melusines asking for their slice of cake - before sampling the cake, but the temptation to taste Wriothesley’s baking is too great.
The Iudex takes a first bite of the dessert, and he closes his eyes as he savors it. The raspberry cream in the middle of the cake is rich, but not too sweet. And the cake itself is very moist and soft, perfect for Neuvillette’s particular palate.
Neuvillette is very impressed.
When he opens his eyes to look at Wriothesley, he realizes that the Duke has stopped cutting the cake and is watching him with an expectant look, waiting for his verdict.
Neuvillette smiles at him. “It’s delicious. Thank you, Wriothesley.”
Wriothesley grins happily. His icy eyes are fond and impossibly warm as they gaze at him, and it makes Neuvillette’s heart flutter in his chest.
He desperately wants to keep that gaze on him forever.
After the cake has been completely eaten by a ravenous band of cute Melusines, Sedene and Canotila take it upon themselves to braid Neuvillette’s hair, weaving small conches and lumitoiles in the silver strands.
Neuvillette is more than happy to stay put and let his daughters play with his hair. While they work on the braid, Neuvillette watches Wriothesley, who is currently letting himself be covered by an ungodly amount of stickers from Sigewinne’s collection by the head nurse, Kiara and Carabosse. The girls giggle happily while Wriothesley complains playfully.
As soon as they are done with their art project, the Melusines run away to hide in the village, trying to escape from Wriothesley’s retribution for their stickers attack. The Duke runs after them, and he reminds Neuvillette of how a father would act with their children.
The air is filled with the sound of Melusines giggling. Neuvillette watches as Wriothesley follows Kiara back to the center of the village. He grabs the little Melusine with a victory roar and lifts her in the air before playfully tickling her, making her squeal happily.
Neuvillette’s heart swells with fondness and affection towards Wriothesley seeing him interact this way with his daughters. Wriothesley is so good with them, so tender and attentive.
Just like he treats Neuvillette.
And the Melusines adore him in return. The way they interact with each other feels very natural, as if Wriothesley is the piece of a puzzle that had been missing all this time. As if he belongs in this very unusual family.
Neuvillette suddenly feels very foolish.
Something nudges Neuvillette’s arm, bringing him out of his thoughts. Neuvillette turns his gaze to the side to see Sigewinne looking up at him with slight concern.
“Are you alright, Monsieur Neuvillette?” asks Sigewinne.
Neuvillette smiles at the head nurse and strokes her hair gently. “More than alright, my dear. Excuse me for a moment,” says the Iudex as he stands up from his chair.
Neuvillette’s heart beats faster against his ribcage as he slowly but purposefully walks towards the Duke, who has just put Kiara down.
Wriothesley meets his gaze, and whatever he sees in Neuvillette’s expression has him confused, if not a bit intrigued.
“Monsieur?” says Wriothesley with a raised eyebrow as Neuvillette enters his personal space.
Neuvillette doesn’t hesitate. He doesn’t back down.
Finally surrendering to the call of his heart, he cups Wriothesley’s face and claims his lips in a sweet, chaste kiss.
Wriothesley doesn’t react at first, shocked by Neuvillette’s sudden gesture, in front of an audience nonetheless.
An audience who is gasping and cheering happily at Neuvillette’s sudden action.
Neuvillette doesn’t mind the Melusines’ presence. He is not ashamed of the affection he carries for Wriothesley, and he doesn’t want to hide it anymore.
He has made his choice.
Wriothesley manages to shake off his surprise just before Neuvillette can pull away. The Iudex finds himself wrapped in a strong embrace as Wriothesley reciprocates the kiss, his lips moving tenderly against Neuvillette’s, stealing his breath away.
Kissing Wriothesley feels like drinking the purest water, and Neuvillette is almost drunk on the feeling. He wants more of it.
When their lips finally part, Wriothesley brings their foreheads together as he gazes at Neuvillette with awe and infinite tenderness.
“It is high time I give you an answer, Wriothesley,” whispers Neuvillette.
Wriothesley grins. “And what is that, sweetheart?” he asks teasingly.
Neuvillette’s thumb caresses over the scar on Wriothesley’s cheek and he smiles back. “I choose you.”
Neuvillette has been indeed foolish to make him wait for so long. Sweet Wriothesley, who loves both him and his Melusines unconditionally. Who made sure that Neuvillette wouldn’t spend his birthday alone, wearing himself to the bone, but rather spend it surrounded by so much love.
Sweet Wriothesley, who Neuvillette cherishes above any other.
Neuvillette doesn’t want to waste anymore time. He will face whatever consequences will come from him being true to his heart if it means loving Wriothesley and being loved by him.
Wriothesley pulls Neuvillette into another tender kiss, to the delight of the Melusines surrounding them.
Neuvillette could not have wished for a better birthday.