Chapter Text
Surviving violence is one thing. Wriothesley was good at it and ultimately came out intact. He emerged better, more capable and, incidentally, earned the prestigious title of Duke. In a sea of blood, shattered teeth, and ugly scars, it was all, in a sense, foreseeable. When he was sent to Meropide and stepped into the Pankration Ring, he knew what might happen. Every fool is aware that a blow to the ribs hurts, so one naturally tries to avoid that getting hit in this spot during a fight. Simple. Maybe at first he wasn’t prepared for it, but at least he had that stupid awareness of what could occur.
Surviving a romance, however, was an entirely different matter. Could his situation even be defined as a romance? There were no kisses or nocturnal escapades into someone else’s bed. So what was it that excited Wriothesley so much that after every meeting he would scream into his pillow with the fervor of an emotional thirteen‐year‐old? The answer was… a smile. In those daring days, there would even be a brief, mere fraction-of-a-second touch on his shoulder. So little, yet so incredibly meaningful and all for him, and solely for him from that beautiful creature called Neuvillette.
Poetic comparisons did not naturally come to the warden. As a teenager, when he should have still been in school reading endless poems, he was in prison with little access to high culture. And yet when it came to Iudex, Wriothesley could sing serenades and compose lyrics. He could do literally anything if only Neuvillette would look at him for one extra second with the corners of his lips tilted up.
Their relationship was exceptional. After all, few were a part of the very small circle of people the judge trusted. Even fewer had the honor of drinking tea with him one-on-one. Neuvillette was not overly demonstrative, but Wriothesley fully accepted that. A smile was enough for him…
But was it really enough? Rumors swirled about them. Among other things, there were whispers that the two behaved like concerned parents toward the melusines. The warden tried to ignore such gossip, yet sometimes he’d lie awake at night, staring at the ceiling, wondering what their wedding ceremony would look like. A very foolish thought. After all, they hadn’t even kissed yet, but that vision could still rob Wriothesley of sleep.
Surviving such a romance, or perhaps more aptly, surviving his profound yearning for its existence, was very difficult. The Duke had no idea what might await him. On one hand, the small moments with Iudex were enough, but on the other, he was ready to take him by the hand during a walk and confess his love in one breath. In a brawl, he knew blood might be shed. Yet with Neuvillette, his mind couldn’t predict anything. How was he supposed to do it when he had never, ever talked to the judge about such matters? Neuvillette likely had little experience with relationships or matters of the body. Well, the warden didn’t mind that at all. Although he himself had some experience, as mentioned before, many youthful sensations are lost forever when one ends up in prison as a teenager—several too-wet kisses, some strange sex on uncomfortable beds, and the need to stifle every sound when a guard passed by the cell were hardly among Wriothesley’s fondest memories.
The mere possibility that perhaps he - Wriothesley, had a chance to be Neuvillette’s first made his heart warm. He would do everything perfectly. Their first kiss? Somewhere private on a beach amid the starfish tossed to the shore by the waves, which Neuvillette adored. Their first intimate encounter? In bed, surrounded by candles and an ample supply of lubricant. Wriothesley would never allow Iudex to have a bad first experience like he once had.
After all, there was no better candidate for a romantic life with Neuvillette. It was Wriothesley who was so close to him. It was Wriothesley who became Duke because Neuvillette bestowed that title upon him. It was Wriothesley who improved the situation at Meropide, earning him Iudex’s respect. Moreover, most people already thought there was a spark between them. After all, why else would they spend so many hours in each other’s presence? Wriothesley sensed it too. Neuvillette looked at him in that extraordinary way. No one else was graced with this brand of Neuvillette’s gaze. Wriothesley was sure of it, for he loved studying every minute expression on the judge’s face, analyzing even the smallest twitch.
Noticing this shy interest, the warden decided to officially begin courting him. He started frequenting the surface more often to engage in conversation with his future beloved. After a month of that scandalous display of emotions, he began bringing him flowers—flowers that the judge always accepted with a small smile and placed in a vase on his desk. Once again. He put them in the vase on his desk! ON HIS DESK! That meant a piece of Wriothesley accompanied him during his tedious paperwork. Did Neuvillette sometimes glance at the vase and sigh, thinking how much he’d rather be in the Duke’s arms than sitting through those dull records? Who knows… That image made Wriothesley rise in the morning all radiant.
Courting Neuvillette required a certain subtlety. After all, the warden did not want to scare him away with too hasty steps. That’s why he gave him flowers for about a year before moving on to bolder plans. Namely, introducing touch into their relationship! Touch had happened before, but it was more accidental and utterly devoid of sensuality. Wriothesley was ready to give that touch more meaning. Of course, he had no intention of groping Iudex! Everything was to remain within ethical and social boundaries.
Thus, Wriothesley would greet Neuvillette by kissing the judge’s hand. Amazing! Truly, Neuvillette must have been seriously interested in him if he reacted positively to such gestures. Flowers, hand-kissing, frequent conversations—the directness of it all was such that the Duke might as well have shouted his feelings publicly! Yet it was precisely these acts that testified to his tenderness toward the judge, so Wriothesley remained quiet, determined to continue his long courtship. After all, one had to proceed delicately with Neuvillette, and Wriothesley, as a man who loved him and had known him for years, was patient enough to do absolutely everything in his power to match the pace of his future lover.
Showing up unannounced at Neuvillette’s office had become, at this point, nothing more than their beautiful routine. Inside Palais Mermonia there were fewer employees than usual but that was understandable. For several days, Fontaine had hosted a large delegation of knights from Mondstadt. The water and wind nation hadn’t had significant political ties in the past, but since Neuvillette took over Furina’s position as head of state, Mondstadt had taken notice and sought an alliance. Everyone was busy, including Iudex, but Wriothesley thought a little break would do him good! After all, Neuvillette tended to drown in work. The Duke smiled slightly, clutching a bouquet of rainbow roses tied with a blue ribbon. Neuvillette was associated with that color.
Wriothesley’s hand reflexively pressed against the doorknob. He longed to see his love as soon as possible, and then…
When he stepped onto the threshold, his heart stopped. The flowers fell to the floor, and standing in mute shock, he could only watch the unnatural scene unfolding before him. Neuvillette lay on the desk, his robes scattered about along with sheets that were usually neatly piled on that same desk. His long hair clung to his forehead, damp with sweat. Just behind Neuvillette stood a foreigner with blue hair and a skewed eyepatch. Wriothesley recognized him from when the knights had arrived, and now he simply watched as the man casually clutched Iudex’s waist, rhythmically thrusting his hips. Unlike the judge, the man wasn’t completely naked—he’d only unfastened his fly to… to…
A hunger rose in Wriothesley’s throat. Neuvillette must be being used. There was no other explanation. The judge would never allow such a thing to happen with someone who was practically a stranger! The image in front of the Duke’s eyes began to blur. He didn’t even notice when he stepped inside.
Neuvillette was in danger. How dare someone so low and shamelessly exploit his Neuvillette? Iudex, the Chief Justice? Wriothesley had meticulously planned the perfect first time with Neuvillette. He could not allow that… that beast to hurt his beloved!
The rest happened very quickly. Wriothesley lunged at the knight, grabbing him by the throat. He spared no strength. In his eyes, there was only the threat to his Neuvillette - his love. Such criminals never had an easy life in prison. Well, this criminal wouldn’t be able to have any life anywhere, because Wriothesley would fucking kill him.
“Wriothesley!” Neuvillette shouted as he forcefully removed the warden’s hands from the blue-haired man’s throat.
“Stand behind me. I’m going to tear him apart. No one will hurt you, understand?” Wriothesley tried to lunge at the stranger again, but Neuvillette firmly held him back as the foreigner caught his breath.
“Neuvi? What… what’s happening?” the knight asked in a hoarse voice. The Duke froze. Neuvi? Fuck, Neuvi!? How dare he address him that way after what he’d done!?
“I'm sorry. It seems my friend misinterpreted the entire situation,” the judge sighed softly. He still held the furious Wriothesley, who had calmed down slightly at those words. Misinterpreted? “Nothing’s wrong with me… It’s just that Kaeya and I, with mutual consent, decided to have sex in my office.”
What? The warden was in shock, but he was no longer aggressive. Neuvillette cautiously released him from the embrace. Wriothesley couldn’t understand. After all, he had actively pursued Iudex. Didn’t his gestures prove it? The judge showed interest, didn’t he? He deliberately moved slowly so as not to scare Neuvillette, and now a foreigner comes and snatches him from under his own damn nose in just a few days.
“You thought I was doing something without his consent? Well, I can’t say I wouldn’t have reacted similarly if I thought my friend was being raped,” the foreigner stepped closer with a smile, and Neuvillette began hastily dressing. The blue-haired man had only to fasten his fly to cover himself. “Let’s start over, shall we? Kaeya Alberich, Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius” Kaeya extended his hand toward him. A second earlier, he had been gripping Neuvillette’s waist.
“Wriothesley, Duke, and warden of Fortress of Meropide,” Wriothesley squeezed the knight’s hand. His own voice sounded foreign in his ears. He kept trying to piece it together in his head, but he couldn’t.
With a slight clearing of his throat, Neuvillette joined them. His beautiful skin was again hidden beneath his clothes, and a rosy blush adorned his pale cheeks.
“I'm sorry you had to see that… passion overcame us,” muttered a thoroughly abashed Iudex. Kaeya merely grinned with his teeth and smacked the judge’s cheek with his lips.
“Oh, it’s not the first time passion has overtaken us~” Neuvillette blushed even more, while Wriothesley felt an ever-growing emptiness.
He truly tried to remain calm, but how was he supposed to continue with a neutral expression when that captain was saying such things about the judge? Wriothesley had always treated him with respect and would never have attempted to humiliate him like this, as that foreigner was currently doing.
“So all my efforts meant nothing?” a note of desperation crept into his voice. “The flowers, long conversations, kissing along the hands?”
Kaeya abruptly withdrew from the judge. He had no intention of getting entangled in a complicated situation.
“Did you cheat on him with me?” Alberich furrowed his brow in disgust.
“Of course not. Wriothesley and I were never together,” Neuvillette replied nervously, blinking as if he couldn’t quite understand what the warden meant.
“We weren’t together because I thought you needed someone to slowly court you! Besides, I know the way you look at me. You don’t look at anyone else that way. And… and you respond positively to my attention. That must mean something,” Wriothesley said with such determination, while Neuvillette only blinked again. “For so long I’ve been trying patiently to win you over, and now I see you with the first foreigner you encounter? Neuvillette, we should be together. Many people already think we’re a couple!”
“I’m not, and never have been, romantically interested in you, Wriothesley,” the Duke felt as if he’d been knocked out. “I met you when you were fifteen. Under no circumstances can I see you in that light. I believed that we were bound by a strong platonic friendship” each word delivered another blow. By some miracle, the warden felt even worse than when he first stepped into the ring and nearly lost his teeth. “Could you at least tell me how long you’ve been trying to win my favor?”
“Two years,” he answered without hesitation. Neuvillette went pale, and Kaeya looked aside. The Cavalry Captain had no intention of getting involved in such an intricate situation. He simply felt sorry for Wriothesley.
A tense silence fell among the three men. Wriothesley had to remind himself mentally to breathe. Neuvillette did not love him. Neuvillette had never been infatuated with him and would rather be with a stranger than with him. After all, that entire Kaeya looked so young! Why would the judge care that he met him when he was a teenager? It wasn’t as if they had a close bond back the… they only saw each other in the courtroom. Then years passed, and only later did they truly get to know one another.
“Maybe I should go,” Kaeya mumbled, slowly withdrawing from the room. Right behind him, Wriothesley left without a word.
Neuvillette sighed. The weather outside was no longer sunny.