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Neuvillette has been acting strangely.
Of course, it is perfectly understandable given the recent events. The entire nation has been upended by the prophecy, and Neuvillette has been at the center of it all. With no Archon to rule Fontaine, the responsibility has been left entirely up to the Iudex. That’s not to say that Wriothesley himself isn’t busy either, no, of course not. He’s been swamped for weeks since that fateful day, and both of them have barely found time to see each other.
The short amount of time they do get together however, Neuvillette just seems off. Not the ‘I’m so stressed out and overworked’ kind of off, it’s something more… intimate. Wriothesley is no prude, and will not shy away from saying that his bedroom life with Neuvillette is moderately active - at least, as active as their schedules will allow. Contrary to popular belief, Neuvillette initiates just as much as Wriothesley does!
Yet, ever since the Archon fell, and Neuvillette had his full sovereign powers returned to him, that part of their relationship has not existed. They’re still as affectionate as they always were, but the second their activities start straying into something more risqué than kissing, Neuvillette pulls away and makes up some kind of excuse as to why they can’t. The first few times, Wriothesley thought nothing of it. But it keeps happening, and Wriothesley is only a man after all. That’s not to say that he loves Neuvillette any less because of it, just that there has been a breakdown of communication somewhere within their relationship, and Wriothesley very much intends to fix it.
Pinning the new ruler of Fontaine down for more than an hour is more difficult than it sounds.Neuvillette believes that half a day off is counted as holiday and convincing him to take even that is an exercise in patience. Still, Wriothesley loves him, knows he’s loved in return,and so he waits. He writes letters to Neuvillette every few days, and Neuvillette writes back just as frequently.
Finally, after no small amount of nagging, Wriothesley convinces Neuvillette to take an afternoon off and visit him at the Fortress. Wriothesley is just finishing up some of his paperwork when his partner, and the scent of sea breeze, enters his office.
“Good evening,” Neuvillette greets, as formal as always. Wriothesley sets aside his paperwork and standsto meet his lover.
“Good afternoon to you too. I hope your travel here was unhindered,” Wriothesley replies, stepping around his desk. His chest warms as Neuvillette smiles softly at him, stepping closer. It has taken a long time for Neuvillette to be comfortable with openly displaying affection to Wriothesley, and now he doesn’t shy away from it. Wriothesley leans in, pressing a light kiss to Neuvillette’s lips and humming in delight when the man responds eagerly.
“It was perfectly fine, thank you. Has there been much work for you today?” Neuvillette says leaning easily into Wriothesley’s touch. Wriothesley shrugs, waving his hand to brush it off as the two of them walk upstairs to his quarters.
“Same old, same old. Nothing new or important. I am all yours for the afternoon.” Neuvillette hums in response. Wriothesley moves his hand to rest on the small of Neuvillette’s back, and he doesn’t miss the slight tensing that comes from the movement. “There is something I actually wanted to talk to you about, however.”
“Oh?” Neuvillette replies, delicate eyebrow arching. Wriothesley pulls the door to his chambers shut, and the two of them separate as Wriothesley goes to make tea and Neuvillette takes a seat. Early in their relationship, Wriothesley used to make Neuvillette a cup of tea. He understands now that the Iudex really does prefer normal water, so now he makes sure to stock a variety of imported waters for his partner.
“Mondstadt, Sumeru or Liyue?” Wriothesley asks, letting his cup of tea brew.
“Sumeru, please,” Neuvillette responds, and Wriothesley gets the requested water. He can’t taste the difference in taste, no matter how many times Neuvillette has tried to explain it, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t respect his wishes. Wriothesley serves up their respective drinks and returns to the couch, sitting next to Neuvillette. Their thighs press together, and Neuvillette thanks him as he takes his glass of water, sipping at it carefully. “What was it you wish to discuss?”
Wriothesley takes a moment, and a deep breath, steadying his heart. He is a grown man and is not often victim to insecurities, but these last few weeks have begun to foster some unfavorable thoughts. His heart accelerates at the thought of what Neuvillette could be thinking.
“Are there… issues within our relationship? Something you are unhappy about?” Wriothesley finally asks, and he does not miss the way Neuvillette’s grip tightens on his glass. His eyes widen ever so slightly as he turns to Wriothesley, long lashes blinking in surprise.
“I beg your pardon? Unhappy? What could possibly make you think such a thing?” Neuvillette says, almost frantically. He places his glass down on the table, and turns to fully face Wriothesley, hands coming to rest on his thigh. “I promise you, there is nothing I am unhappy about with our relationship.”
“You have been distant lately, Neuvillette,” Wriothesley sighs, and forces a weak smile in his direction. He places his own cup of tea down, and turns so that he can hold Neuvillette’s hands in his own.
“I have been very busy, you know this. I do not mean to be.”
“That’s not what I meant. I– ugh. This feels awful to say but… are you not attracted to me anymore?” Wriothesley huffs, cheeks burning. He doesn’t want to sound like some insecure school-aged girl, but he hasn’t been able to come up with much else by the way of explanation. Neuvillette blanches at that.
There’s a long and silent moment, and Wriothesley’s heart starts to race more. His palms are beginning to sweat, and he almost wants to pull away his hands.
“I mean, if you are than that is fine, I just wish you would have talked to me but–”
“Wriothesley, you don’t truly think that, do you?” Neuvillette’s voice is achingly soft. He tightens his grip on Wriothesley’s hands, refusing to let him go. “I am sorry if I have not been as free as I was previously, but I assure you, I love you just as much as I always have.”
“But you won’t have sex with me.”
There. He’s said it. He doesn’t like being crude, and Neuvillette doesn’t like it when he is either, but sometimes it is easier to just be upfront about it. Neuvillette’s face goes terrifyingly blank, and he pauses. His expression shifts into one of understanding, and he ducks his head down, white hair falling down to hide his face.
“Ah. So that is what this is about,” Neuvillette says, with a hint of resignation. “It is not a problem with you, at all. If that is what you are concerned about.”
“But there is a problem? One that you don’t want to discuss with me?”
“It’s a difficult topic to explain.”
“So explain,” Wriothesley pleads, and Neuvillette heaves a sigh. He looks to the side, and Wriothesley can just catch the faintest hint of red in his cheeks. He bites his lip, drawing in a deep breath, before he turns back to face Wriothesley.
“You know that I am now a fully realized Sovereign, correct?” Neuvillette starts, and Wriothesley nods. Neuvillette had explained it to him after that fateful day.“I… there have been… some changes to my physiology because of that.”
It’s Wriothesley’s turn to blank out, his mouth dropping open in shock. His eyes quickly flick over Neuvillette’s figure, but he can’t see anything out of the ordinary. Neuvillette catches the movement, and huffs out a quiet laugh.
“It’s nothing so easily visible. It’s… more intimate than that.” Neuvillette is definitely blushing now, pretty pale skin flushing a dark red. The tips of his ears peeking out from his hair are also tinted red and Wriothesley finally thinks he’s starting to understand. “I did not want to… startle you with the changes, that is all.”
Ah. Now Wriothesley gets it.
Neuvillette is the insecure one right now. Wriothesley knows the face of anxiety on Neuvillette well, and he can see it as plain as day before him. Neuvillette’s lack of humanity has always been a bit of a tender subject for him. It’s his turn to tighten his grip on Neuvillette’s hands, pulling him slightly closer to him.
“Neuvi…” he whispers, keeping his voice as gentle as possible. “I love you, and nothing is going to change that,” he promises, and Neuvillette gives a small smile.
“I know, but it is perhaps a little more drastic than you are expecting,” he says softly, but he leans in closer. Their foreheads bump together, and Wriothesley breathes in the scent of his lover deeply. He always smells like the ocean, but it’s become more apparent since his powers were returned to him. “It’s a silly thing to think, I know, but I feared that you might perhaps…”
“Neuvi, I would never stop loving you, no matter how much you change,” Wriothesley tells him, reaching forward to cup Neuvillette’s cheek. Neuvillette leans into the touch,and Wriothesley takes that momentto tip his face up so that their lips can brush.
Neuvillette surges into it, as if he’s been craving it this entire time, and it nearly takes Wriothesley by surprise. He’s more than ready to lean into it, however, and lets out a shaky breath, moving to thread his fingers into Neuvillette’s hair. Neuvillette makes a small noise in the back of his throat, and presses forward further.
Wriothesley pulls back, letting out a nervous laugh at his partner’s sudden eagerness, and smooths down the locks of hair that he’s tousled.
“I didn’t mean we had to have sex right now,” Wriothesley teases, and Neuvillette frowns. It could almost be called a pout, but Wriothesley would never dare to say that the great Iudex of Fontaine, the Hydro Sovereign himself, pouts.
“I would like to. It has been long enough,” Neuvillette insists, edging slightly closer to Wriothesley. He feels heat rush to his face, and laughs again. Wriothesley had been so sure that Neuvillette didn’t want to have sex anymore. It’s almost comical now.
“Well, who am I to refuse the leader of our nation?” Wriothesley hums, and Neuvillette lets out an annoyed huff, but he smiles nonetheless. “I think we could move somewhere a little more comfortable, however,” he says, glancing over at his bed on the opposite side of the room. Neuvillette makes a small noise in his throat in agreement, and stands abruptly, making a swift course towards the bed. Wriothesley can’t help but laugh again and follow after him.
Before Neuvillette can lay down on the bed, Wriothesley stops him with an arm around his waist. He pulls him back into him, back to chest, and presses his lips to the exposed skin of Neuvillette’s neck. He hears the stuttered inhale, and slowly Wriothesley lets his hands slip underneath the robes obstructing him from his lover.
His fingers splay over the soft skin of Neuvillette’s stomach as he trails his mouth up to his pointed ears. Neuvillette sighs in contentment, tipping his head to the side to allow Wriothesley more access as he goes.
“So eager to start, aren’t you? Have you been pent-up, waiting for this?” Wriothesley murmurs, and Neuvillette swallows thickly in response. He spins around in Wriothesley’s arms, looping his arms around his shoulders before falling backwards so that the both of them tumble to the bed. Wriothesley grunts in surprise, catching himself with a hand by Neuvillette’s head, chest to chest with his partner.
“Perhaps I have been. Are you going to assist me, or shall I have to do it myself?” Neuvillette teases quietly, and Wriothesley’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise at the boldness. Still, he relents, leaning down to press their lips together. Neuvillette pushes up into him, parting his lips ever so slightly and allowing Wriothesley’s tongue to slip in. Wriothesley muffles a groan, melting into the wet heat of Neuvillette’s mouth.
“I never knew the Iudex himself could be so impatient,” Wriothesley says, and there’s a faint pink tinge to Neuvillette’s ears as he pouts slightly. Wriothesley moves away from Neuvillette’s lips, trailing them down the delicate curve of his jaw, the soft and unblemished skin of his neck. His hands deftly undo Neuvillette’s robes, pushing them apart and letting them pool around him. There’s a hint of tension there as Wriothesley starts to unbutton his shirt, and he looks up to see the faintest sliver of nervousness in his lover’s face.
“I will always love you, Neuvillette, no matter how much you change,” Wriothesley reaffirms, and Neuvillette exhales. He leans up, pressing another reassuring kiss to his lips, and continues to open his shirt. His fingers brush over smooth skin, but as he gets to Neuvillette’s sides, the skin starts to become rough and hard, almost like scales. Wriothesley hides his surprise, kissing Neuvillette’s sternum. He pushes the shirt the rest of the way off, leaving Neuvillette’s torso bare. He sits up to admire his partner, and his eyes gloss over the blue-hued scales that grow up Neuvillette’s sides. They shine, almost iridescent in the way they glow in the light. “You’re beautiful,” Wriothesley whispers reverently, and he means it wholeheartedly. Neuvillette’s face relaxes, and he smiles up at the Duke. Wriothesley presses more kisses to his chest, his stomach, as he makes his way down. He hovers above his navel, where the scales have become denser in concentration now. They trail underneath his pants and Wriothesley drags his tongue over a patch of them. Neuvillette inhales sharply at the touch, his thighs twitching.
Emboldened, Wriothesley hooks his fingers around the waistband of Neuvillette’s pants, and starts to drag them down. Neuvillette tenses again, and Wriothesley hears him swallow thickly.
“Remember what I said. The changes have been… more drastic than you might think,” Neuvillette says, his voice wavering ever so slightly. Wriothesley kisses the scales again in reassurance, and pulls Neuvillette’s pants off, leaving him naked.
Wriothesley looks down, and does his very best not to balk at the sight. It is definitely not what he expected. Whilst beforehand, Neuvillette appeared human completely, even in an intimate sense, that’s changed now.
Between his legs, where the scales coalesce, two half-hard cocks. Wriothesley blinks in surprise, and Neuvillette squirms rather uncomfortably. His cocks soften, just slightly, and Wriothesley will not have that. Quickly, he spreads his hands over Neuvillette’s scaled thighs, pushing them apart, and dips his head down to lave his tongue against his inner thigh.
Neuvillette makes a surprised noise in the back of his throat, legs jerking to spread further apart. Wriothesley licks another stripe up, before pressing a wet kiss to the skin.
“Remember what I said. You’re beautiful,” Wriothesley murmurs against the skin. Neuvillette sighs, a pretty noise coming from him. Wriothesley could spend eternity here, between Neuvillette’s thighs, pressing kiss after kiss to the skin. “I love you, Neuvillette,” Wriothesley says, voice still reverent, still worshipful. To be trusted in such a way, to be able to see all the parts of him that Neuvillette doesn’t want anyone else to see, is truly the highest honor a man as wretched as Wriothesley could ever be bestowed.
“I love you too,” Neuvillette replies, voice unsteady with desire, as Wriothesley starts to sit up. His hands glide over the smooth scales, finger pads studying every groove and ridge in them as though they were a holy item within his hands.
Wriothesley pulls his hands away to hastily shed his own clothes. He watches, amused, as Neuvillette’s mouth parts, pupils dilating as they roam over Wriothesley’s naked body. Neuvillette sits up a little, his hands stretching towards Wriothesley’s torso. He starts at the shoulders, moving down to smooth over his pecs, and finally falling to his stomach. Wriothesley is still sitting between Neuvillette’s legs, and he moves to pick up his thighs, wrapping them around his own hips. Like this, their cocks, now both mostly hard, almost touch, and the Duke hears the other man swallow thickly at the sight.
Wriothesley himself is similarly mesmerized, staring in awe at the sight below him. The way the scales darken in color around Neuvillette’s cocks to a midnight blue, like the depths of the ocean, is beautiful. His cocks themselves are a light blue, and there’s a bead of pre-cum at the tip of both of them.
Tentatively, he reaches down and wraps his hands around one of them, and Neuvillette takes in a shuddering inhale. He pitches forward, burying his face into Wriothesley’s shoulder, hand curling around his shoulders once more.
“Wriothesley,” Neuvillette hisses, hips stuttering up into his hand. Wriothesley hums in acknowledgement, slowly stroking up and down. Neuvillette makes an odd noise in the back of his throat, like he’s swallowing a moan, and he shivers against him.
More pre-cum leaks out of him, slicking the glide as Wriothesley languidly starts to jerk him off. Nails dig into Wriothesley’s back, and he swears that they’re sharper than before.
“O-oh, that’s–” Neuvillette mumbles, his breath puffing against Wriothesley’s collarbone. It sends goosebumps rolling down his skin, and he grunts, shifting slightly in an attempt to alleviate the desire for friction on his own cock. Neuvillette seems to notice, and he lifts his head, lips dragging wet across Wriothesley’s skin. “Wriothesley, I want you to make love to me.” Neuvillette’s voice is hoarse with arousal, and the words ignite a deep fire within him. He inhales, swallowing away the lump that forms in his throat. His mouth feels dry as he releases Neuvillette’s cock, and presses the man to lie back down in the bed. Neuvillette goes easily, his eyelids hooded with desire as he stares up at Wriothesley. His pale chest is flushed in stark contrast to the blue scales along his sides, and his lips are red from being bitten.
The man tips his legs open, spreading them almost obscenely from where they rested on Wriothesley’s hips, and it’s a lewd sight to behold. The great Iudex, the Hydro Sovereign, flushed and hard and leaking all spread out before him. If there were any other higher divinity in Wriothesley’s mind than Neuvillette, he thinks he might be thanking them right now.
“Fuck,” Wriothesley hisses to himself, as he reaches over and procures the lube that he has stored in his bedside table. Hastily, he lubes up his fingers, and slides his hand between Neuvillette’s legs. He presses one finger to his entrance, pushing in slowly, and watches his lover’s face intensely. He watches the way his lips part to moan softly, one hand coming up to cover his mouth as his eyes slip closed, head falling against the pillow. White and blue hair spreads out behind him, framing his expression perfectly.
Wriothesley pumps the finger in and out, and it’s only a few more minutes before Neuvillette is shifting impatiently and reaching out to swat at Wriothesley’s arm.
“Go faster. I am not fragile,” Neuvillette demands, and Wriothesley laughs. He pushes in another finger, and worships the groan that leaves Neuvillette. He scissors his fingers apart, making sure to stretch him as best as possible. He’s feeling just as impatient as Neuvillette, and is eager to sink himself into his heat once more after so long.
When he presses a third finger in, he strokes them over Neuvillette’s prostate. He’s thankful in a sense that Neuvillette doesn’t appear to have strayed too far from human biology, because now he can watch him fall apart as Wriothesley strokes over his most sensitive spot. He gasps, before a loud moan leaves him. His cocks twitch between his legs, both leaking copiously and leaving smears of silvery pre-cum over his stomach.
“Perfect in every way,” Wriothesley mutters, as he fucks his fingers against Neuvillette’s prostate just to hear the noises that escape him. After a while, he can’t wait any longer, and pulls his fingers out. He hastily slathers lube over his cock, lifting Neuvillette’s thighs, and lines himself up, slowly sliding in. Both of them groan in unison. Neuvillette is slick and warm around him, squeezing him tightly, and Gods above Wriothesley had missed this.
“A-ah, oh, Wriothesley–” Neuvillette moans. Wriothesley leans forward until he’s hovering above Neuvillette’s face, and the man quickly wraps his thighs around Wriothesley’s waist. The feeling of the scales, combined with the softness of his skin, dragging over his body is doing insane things to Wriothesley’s head as he gradually pulls his cock out. He takes his time, not wanting to overwhelm Neuvillette and himself after weeks.
When he sinks back in, Wriothesley realizes with a hot flash throughout his body that he isn’t going to last very long. It’s been too long, far too long, and having Neuvillette pliant and lewd underneath him, both cocks leaking over his skin, is spelling his demise.
“Please, Wriothesley, hurry,” Neuvillette whispers, hands reaching up to claw at his shoulders. His nails feel even sharper, like claws tearing at him, no doubt leaving angry red marks in their wake. Wriothesley is weak to all of Neuvillette’s demands, and picks up the pace, fucking his cock in and out of his lover.
Neuvillette moans again, head thrown back, and his chest arches. It’s a divine sight to behold, and Wriothesley can’t help but to lean down and mouth at his smooth collarbones.
“I missed this, I missed you,” he murmurs there, and Neuvillette shivers. One of his hands comes to knot into Wriothesley’s hair, tugging at the locks, and his hips shift, trying to grind into Wriothesley with each thrust.
“I missed you t– ah, that’s– oh, that’s it,” Neuvillette mumbles, and Wriothesley groans, reaching down with one hand to angleNeuvillette’s hips just slightly. That seems to do something to the man; making him jerk underneath him, breath stuttering on the edge of a high-pitched moan. “There! Oh, right there!”
This, Wriothesley has missed the most. Hearing Neuvillette lost in pleasure, throwing all his formalities and inhibitions out the window as he clenches around Wriothesley, begging for more. Wriothesley sits back up, letting his partner’s hands fall away from his stinging shoulders so that he can gaze down at him. He looks over the sweat beading on his skin, the shimmering scales, the hair spread out like a curtain. His eyes are squeezed shut, one hand falling to hover above his mouth in a futile attempt at stifling his noises.
“Fuck, I love you,” Wriothesley says, feeling as though his chest might just burst staring down at his lover like this. Neuvillette’s eyes flutter open, light purple glazed over with lust, and he huffs out a soft breath. Before he can speak however, Wriothesley quickly wraps his hand around Neuvillette’s cocks, stretching his fingers to cup both of them. Neuvillette’s eyes go wide and his hips jerk upwards, mouth dropping open.
Both are coated in pre-cum, and Wriothesley wastes no time in stroking Neuvillette. He himself is close, especially now that Neuvillette is clenching around him as he tumbles closer and closer to the edge.
Finally, with a loud and beautiful moan, Neuvillette cums, his cocks pulsing as he spills over himself. Wriothesley follows suit soon after, rhythm stuttering as he empties inside of Neuvillette,. Warmth spreads all throughout his body, leaving his extremities tingling, and he groans, pitching forward once again to brace his hands next to Neuvillette’s head.
The man in question is twitching and letting out these quiet little noises with each breath, eyes closed once more, as Wriothesley pants in the comedown. Slowly, he reaches down to pull out, both of them wincing at how sensitive they are, before he rolls to flop next to his partner.
Neuvillette cracks open an eye, turning his head to look at him, and he smiles tiredly at the Duke.
“Thank you, Wriothesley,” he says after a moment, and Wriothesley returns the smile. He leans forward, pressing a kiss to the lips he loves so dearly, pulling Neuvillette into his body.
“I will always love you, no matter how much you change.”