𝐍𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 - Wriothesley x Neuvillette

Doubt in peace (Chapter 22)

"Heyyy, Lady Furina, funny seeing you here!"

Furina only scoffed and kicked him off her feet, causing him to yelp and get up quickly.

"Your grace, may I ask why Neuvillette is sitting unsupervised, eating dinner alone?"

"He's a grown man. He doesn't need me to constantly watch him. Besides, I'm allowed to go to the bathroom."

"You could bring him with you."

"Absolutely not."

"Why not?"

"Are you stupid? Or do all divine beings lack common sense?"

"You're both men. What's the big deal?"

"Decency, Lady Furina, Decency."

"Yeah whatever, go keep Neuvillette company now."

"Wait, why are you here anyway?"

"To check if you're doing your job probably, which you clearly aren't." Furina scoffed, acting as bratty as ever.

"And doing my job properly would be taking a piss in front of the Iudex?" Wriothesley questioned, hoping to get a reaction out of Furina, and he did.

"No, of course not! Just- just- Go! Now!"

"As you command." He shrugged and walked back to Neuvillette, who was just sitting quietly and eating his food.

"You're a slow eater, Neuvillette."

"I prefer to enjoy my food."

Wriothesley sat back down again and resumed eating his food, which of course had gotten cold. There was silence for a moment before Neuvillette spoke,

"May I ask what took you so long?"

"A certain archon decided to show up and lecture me about manners."

"Why?"

"Apparently, I am not allowed to leave your side for more than twenty seconds."

Neuvillette sighed, "Maybe I should teach HER some manners."

Wriothesley couldn't help but chuckle. He was sure a lot of people would love to see Neuvillette teach Lady Furina a lesson. People might even pay high prices to watch it at the Opera Eclipse. They finished eating dinner, and Wriothesley began cleaning up. Neuvillette would have helped, but Furina showed up yet again and snatched him away. Wriothesley couldn't help but be a little bit annoyed. Wasn't he supposed to be the one to look after Neuvillette?

After he came back, they sat down across from each other to talk. Despite being together constantly, they often didn't talk. It didn't take long before they got engrossed in a vivid discussion about Ciel and the body found by the fountain. Wriothesley couldn't help but notice Neuvillette's animated gestures as he spoke. It didn't surprise him that he was the kind of person who used hand gestures when speaking. He had seen it before at trials. It was kind of cute to see his gestures get bigger the more absorbed in the conversation Neuvillette got. His eyes wandered over Neuvillette, drawn to his passion and grace, admiring him.

Unbeknownst to Wriothesley, Neuvillette often found himself stealing glances at the duke, not just to keep eye contact and be polite, but for the mere chance of catching a glimpse of his radiant smile or the twinkle in his eyes. He had noticed that Wriothesley's eyes seemed rather dull, but sometimes when they talked, Wriothesley's eyes would light up. Something Neuvillette was always glad to see.

Their gazes met, a moment frozen in time, a glimpse into a world of unspoken words and silent desires. Wriothesley's heart skipped a beat, the warmth in his chest only growing as he met Neuvillette's eyes. For a fraction of a second, the world around them seemed to blur, leaving only the clarity of their shared moment. Wriothesley tried to calm his racing heart. Why was he acting like this? And had Neuvillette's eyes always been so beautiful? Yeah, they had. He could remember thinking it before.

Neuvillette smiled, "Lost in thought?"

His cheeks flushed as he returned his smile, his pulse quickening. "Yes, trying to figure out what the body in the fountain could have meant." 

No, he wasn't. He was shamelessly staring at Neuvillette's lips.

As the sun set, they found themselves sitting close, enveloped in the soft glow of remains of the sun that could still find its way through the curtains.

"Neuvillette," Wriothesley began, his voice soft yet tinged with uncertainty. 

"Do you believe in... in moments that change everything?"

His gaze met his, the golden light casting a gentle radiance upon Neuvillette's features. "I do, Wriothesley," he replied. "Sometimes, a single moment can alter the course of everything."Their eyes held a conversation, a silent exchange of emotions that lingered in the space between them. Neuvillette felt odd. He didn't quite understand what was happening. His heart was beating abnormally fast. Perhaps he was sick? But dragons don't get sick. So what was causing this? He looked at Wriothesley. He sure looked pretty in the light from the sunset, much softer than he looks when in his office in Meropide. 

His eyes went over the duke's face, taking in the details. Neuvillette couldn't help but notice how aesthetically pleasing his face really was. He would probably be fun to draw or paint. His face was a bit of an artwork now that Neuvillette really looked at it.

They continued talking for a little while, enjoying each other's presence in this moment of peace. Wriothesley hoped that after they had figured everything out and it was all over, they could be like this again. Good friends. He would love to continue seeing Neuvillette and being his friend. They soon got up to go to bed, as it had already gotten late. They never meant to waste so much time talking, but it was as though time stood still when they sat together. It was as if they had forever to talk about everything and nothing.

Wriothesley went to bed, laying down between the pillows to get some sleep, but ended up staring up at the ceiling. It seemed as though the darkness got darker around him, and even though things were so nice right now, he felt himself consumed with guilt whenever he was alone like this. He thought, what if Neuvillette wants nothing to do with him after what he did? Will he ever be forgiven, or has he lost his chance already? He couldn't stop himself from thinking these things. He couldn't stop the knot in his chest from growing tighter and the anxiety from eating him inside. And much to his surprise, he felt a single tear roll down his cheek.