Work Text:
The walk to the Palais Mermonia was long but never unpleasant for the Duke. Whenever the weather permitted he would forgo his jacket to feel the unique warmth on his skin only the sun had the power to bestow. Beneath the waves surrounded by metal, only artificial warmth existed, save for the heat of life– though he’d only come into direct contact with that tenderness once in a lifetime down there.
A belated sigh slipped past the careful censors within his brain that were only active in public, preventing him from showing just a bit too much of himself to prying eyes.
The aquabus came to a halt, creaking and swaying in the water as he stepped off onto the familiar platform. The melusine on duty bade him goodbye with a wave of a mitten, yet he didn’t respond as usual with a look or gesture over his shoulder. Instead, he turned the papers in his hands over once more. He wasn’t reading the words on the paper– they were freshly memorized– he was just tracing the ink over and over, inspecting it absently.
Fontaine passed him by in a blur, as per usual people shied away from him. Only few knew him as the Duke, and even then he seemed intimidating.
Scent was a prevalent thing in Teyvat’s society as a whole, what with alphas and omegas and all. Usually, ones with a secondary gender had a heightened sense of smell designed to detect pheromones of potential mates. Though, this proved useful in other ways. The entryway of the Palais Mermonia had this underlying waft of Neuvillette, the crispness of the sea air that seemed to permeate around both him and Fontaine.
One knock on the door was all he gave before entering the office. Suddenly, an assault of new scents interrupted the pleasant familiarity he had just grown used to. Sweetness was likely the word he was looking for to describe it. Like a bakery.
“Wriothesley,” Neuvillette nodded toward him, and he sat heavily beside the man with a sigh.
Across the couch from the pair were the former Archon and Mademoiselle Navia, busying themselves with eating as he entered. No wonder it smelled like a bakery. Both of their pheromones were so sweet already, and there was an elaborate sprawl of desserts across the coffee table.
“Your Grace, we were discussing you just now!” Furina’s voice cheered as soon as she finished off a macaroni, “How is Meropide? Not too troublesome, I presume?”
He cleared his throat, “Yes, of course, Furina. Never too much work for me, hm?”
Just as he found his cup of tea already at his place on the table, Neuvillette was forcing papers into his hand. Navia let out an amused laugh, “It certainly doesn't seem that way any longer, Your Grace!”
“The case regarding the kid I told you about yesterday concluded. He will be transferred to Meropide soon. I assume you want to keep an extra set of eyes on him, yes?”
His eyes flicked from the reports to Neuvillette with mild interest, “Yeah, probably,” The tea served was his usual, Neuvillette had gotten his order down to a tee.
“You two seem closer than I remember,” Furina mused, her plate occupied by a new slice of strawberry shortcake.
“And I didn't expect you and Navia to be in such proximity to each other,” Wriothesley quipped as he took a croissant from the spread.
Navia scoffed, crossing her arms, “Poisson did hold a grudge against Furina, but I believe I never have. Furina had done her best despite being powerless during her time as Archon,” She peered over her teacup at Furina, “I also recently helped her gain her footing within society.”
A familiar noise of understanding and interest came from Neuvillette. Wriothesley recognized it as the man’s sign for the other to continue the conversation.
“Ah, yes! Mademoiselle Navia helped me with the play I directed. One of the members resided within Poisson.”
Wriothesley tilted his head to the side in interest, “Interesting… Any more plays in the books? Your directing is phenomenal, I'd like to watch another.”
Just as she was about to respond, Neuvillette planted a kiss on Wriothesley’s cheek. A filthy, shocked silence befell everyone but them.
“Ah, I was just tilting my head, Neuv,” He turned to the other beside him, tilting his chin down.
A flush resided on Neuvillette's ears and he cleared his throat with a gloved hand to his mouth, “I see. Apologies, it must've been subconscious.”
Smiling reassuringly at Neuvillette, he turned back to the other two ladies across from them, who were simply agape in shock. It was unclear to him if they were appalled or taken aback by the display of affection. PDA wasn't exactly uncommon in Fontaine, but they still exercised caution considering their positions, didn't they? Yet, Wriothesley came to the conclusion there wasn't much to be shocked about, for their relationship was commonly discussed among Fontaine’s citizens.
“You're together?!” Ah, maybe only Navia didn't know, then.
Furina nearly squealed in… delight, perhaps? “You two?!”
Maybe it wasn't such common knowledge afterall.
Beating him to it, Neuvillette gave a reserved nod, “You didn't know?” At least they were on the same page, then.
Both ladies, bless their hearts, shook their heads innocently, “I don't think a single soul in Fontaine knew you were actually together,” Furina mused.
“Unusual,” Wriothesley mumbled. He leaned to the side against the armrest of the couch.
For a long while, the two omegas across them chattered endlessly, bouncing speculations and ideas off each other. Nonsensical jabber such as them meeting on a rainy day and the sun rearing its head only when Wriothesley approached the grieving Iudex.
Since no room was left for either man to butt in, they both let their own thoughts steep like tea in the pots of their minds. With a much belated sigh, Neuvillette leaned his shoulder against Wriothesley. He supposed listening to the ladies yammer on and on, speculating about their own relationship could be tiring, even as background noise.
As soon as he leaned over to ask if Neuvillette was alright, Furina’s voice cut in, far too chipper for his liking, “How long?”
“Huh?” They answered in tandem, earning a giggle from Navia.
“How long have you been together?”
Wriothesley draped his arms across the back of the couch, one resting behind Neuvillette's head, “Guess.”
Finally, quiet settled over them, much to Wriothesley's belief. Although he almost spat his tea out as he was briskly asked to kiss Neuvillette by Furina. Leave it to her to turn a simple guessing game into a whole ordeal like this.
Despite Neuvillette's protests, he took the dragon’s chin between a thumb and his finger, pressing a quick kiss to soft lips. To others, it might've seemed a bit more reserved, but between them it was the gentlest declaration of love. Both their eyes seemed to soften at the corners as if smiling when they parted.
“1 year!”
Furina scoffed, crossing her arms, “One would think us a fool to not have realized if they'd been dating for that long!” She pointed an accusing finger at the couple, “4 months!”
Wriothesley jabbed a thumb towards the sky and Navia laughed, “Seems I won!”
“Nope, I meant higher than a year.”
Being the first to regain her composure, Furina blurted a new guess of 2 years, receiving another ‘up’ motion. Navia’s guess of 3 got the same.
“I give up, this is ludicrous…” Furina grumbled, crossing her arms.
“Tomorrow is our fifth anniversary,” Neuvillette stated calmly. He didn't seem too interested in the game Wriothesley had spurred on, but he would always go along with his beloved’s antics.
Water was nearly sprayed over both of them, but Navia forced it down and went into a coughing fit instead. Furina patted her back, “5? As in you've been together… before even the prophecy came to fruition?”
They nodded together, Navia belatedly opening her mouth to speak after the coughing passed, “What’s that smell?”
“Likely pheromones,” Despite being around Wriothesley’s age, Navia had presented as an omega quite late. Sigewinne theorized it was due to her involvement with Clorinde, an alpha. Therefore, she was not used to the nuances of pheromones and all the new scents the world had to offer.
She shook her head politely, “It's too strong to brush off this way. I've smelled similar things among mothers in Poisson…”
Furina perked up, “Ah, it's your pheromones, Neuvillette!”
As his ears reddened, he shook his head as well, “What are you implying?”
“That you smell like a mother?” Wriothesley snickered, earning a pointed glare. He took a sip of tea to avoid the piercing lavender eyes shooting him down.
“It may be worth looking into, your pheromones are giving off a unique scent today,” Furina’s tone lost its theatrical tone, albeit belatedly.
Boldly, Wriothesley shoved his nose into Neuvillette's neck, earning a quick sound of bemusement from everyone in the room. The scent he usually carried was a light, airy thing, never coming on too strong. Naturally, hailing from the sea itself, he smelled of water and the breeze carrying the scent of salt. Although now, Wriothesley picked up a variety of floral notes, romaritime flowers were the closest thing to it he could find in his memory. Instinctually, he wrapped an arm around Neuvillette’s waist, pulling him into his side protectively. The scent screamed of vulnerability, a need for something gentle to hold onto.
“Are you feeling okay?” Wriothesley tilted his head, attempting to gauge his beloved’s feelings. The passive expression never gave much, though, pheromones and weather were far more reliable when it came to the dragon.
Compared to the other three, all seemingly staring through him to figure out the most complex puzzle in Teyvat, Neuvillette was rather thrown off guard, “I feel quite alright.”
Furina snapped her fingers in epiphany, “Perhaps your heat is coming on!”
Quickly, Navia’s head snapped over to Wriothesley along with the Director’s. Naturally, being the only alpha in the room, he'd be best suited to detect Neuvillette's heat, especially as the man’s mate, but…
“Is the scent making you horny?”
How uncomfortably scandalous.
He coughed and shook his head, “Nah, it's not his pre-heat’s scent. Something’s up.”
“Not horny at all?”
“More like I feel the need to hold him tight and coddle him, I guess.”
Contrary to his words, they both sat a comfortable distance apart still. With time they could loosen around others.
Abruptly, Furina shot out of her seat, “I shall notify Sedene of your leave. Navia, fetch Sigewinne post-haste!”
Poor Navia, getting roped into this… Both of them enjoyed such adventures though, so he supposed they suited each other in that way.
Sensing Neuvillette’s uneasiness, he patted the man’s thigh, telling him to stay quiet. He kissed his lover’s cheek, “Let them go. We need Sigewinne’s help this time ‘round.”
Distress rolled off the poor Iudex in waves, a soft drizzle pattering against the glass. Wriothesley draped himself across his lover’s lap like a dog, letting Neuvi play with his hair as they found themselves lost in individual thought.