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Chapter Text

When Water Flows but Ice Melts

We said Forever

The air smelled of hydrangeas and seafoam.
Sunlight streamed through the crystal arches of the Palais Mermonia, scattered into soft rainbows by the enchanted glass overhead. It dappled the marble floor in every shade of blue and gold, as if Fontaine’s own waters had risen up to bless the occasion. The crowd, though small and hand-picked, held its breath. Wriothesley stood at the center of it all, fingers twitching at his sides, trying not to fidget on his formal coat. He’d cleaned up for this—hair slicked back, gloves off, collar pressed crisp. He didn’t wear his usual cocky smirk, but rather something much softer, more fragile, and vulnerable.

Then he saw him.

Neuvillette stepped into the room like a hymn. Dressed in white and silver, robe trailing behind like a mist over still waters, his long white and blue hair pinned back with a piece of glass shaped like a wave crest. He looked untouched by time, untouched by anything. Like he had walked out of a dream and straight into Wriothesley’s life.

The room faded. There was no audience. No ceremony. Just him.

Wriothesley let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding.

“You’re staring,” Neuvillette said gently when he finally reached Wriothesley, voice barely above a whisper.

“How could I not?” Wriothesley murmured. “You look like the very first snowfall. The kind no one forgets.”

Neuvillette blinked slowly, the corners of his lips lifting into the rarest of smiles. “And you, Wriothesley…look like a man about to make a bad decision.”

Wriothesley laughed under his breath, “I am. I’m trusting you with my whole damn heart.”

The officiant stepped forward then—a soft-spoken Melusine in ceremonial robes, her tiny voice carrying surprisingly well through the vaulted hall. Yet even as she began to recite the rites of union, time felt suspended. Wriothesley barely heard a word.

His eyes never left Neuvillette.

He memorized the way the light danced along his lashes, the slight tremble in his fingers as they linked their hands. Even Neuvillette, composed and celestial as always, seemed changed by the moment—human, somehow. Softened by something as fragile as love.

“Do you swear,” the Melusine said, “to hold one another as equals, through calm and current alike?”

“I do,” Wriothesley said, without hesitation.

“I do,” Neuvillette echoed, his voice gentle and certain.

“Then speak your vows, and let the water bear witness.”

Wriothesley swallowed once, then began,

“I know I can’t give you forever, not the kind you deserve. But I’ll give you all the time I have. Every second. Every heartbeat. Every piece of me, until there’s nothing.”

A silence followed, soft and reverent.

Neuvillette lifted his hand to Wriothesley’s chest, palm resting over his heart.
“And I,” he said, voice flowing like the rivers he guarded, “will remember every second. I will carry your time with me, long after it’s passed. This I vow.”

There was something in his eyes then. Something eternal. And something afraid.

A pause. As if even the wind wanted to stay for this moment. Before Neuvillette realized it, Wriothesley’s lips were pressed against his own.

The kiss was soft, simple, and forever.

Cheers broke like gentle waves. The Melusine declared them bound, not just by law, but by the sea and sky and all that flows between. Petals fell from above—enchanted hydrangeas, dissolving into mist the moment they touched the floor. Neuvillette smiled at the magic. Wriothesley pulled him close, whispering something only he could hear.

“Promise me something,” Wriothesley murmured.

Neuvillette leaned in closer to hear what his lover had to say, “Anything for you.”

“Remember this day. Even when we’re old. Even when I’m no longer the same.”

“I will…I promise. As long as water flows, I shall remember this day for all eternity.” Neuvillette whispered into Wriothesley’s ear.

And far above them, unnoticed, the glass above the altar caught the sunlight—bending it into a single shimmer of silver-grey.

A quiet omen.

One day, Wriothesley would grow old due to being human.

And Neuvillette, a dragon, would look just the same.

But for now, there was only love.

And time, pretending to stay still.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2 — Where the Tides Rest

The air of Poisson was warmer than Fontaine’s capital, tinged with salt and the scent of fresh bread from the harborside bakeries. Wriothesley had chosen this spot for their honeymoon—not for extravagance, but for the quiet. A place where the world would leave them alone.

They stayed in a small stone villa overlooking the waves. From the balcony, the ocean stretched into an endless horizon, and the sound of the tide lulled them into the kind of peace that felt stolen from time itself.

Wriothesley leaned on the railing, sleeves rolled to his elbows, watching Neuvillette from the corner of his eye. The Iudex sat at a small table, pouring tea into delicate porcelain cups, his movements as precise and fluid as water. He looked the same as he had yesterday at the altar—radiant, composed, untouched by the passing of a single day.

Wriothesley smirked. “You’re too perfect, you know that?”

Neuvillette glanced up, tilting his head. “And you are too obvious.”

They shared breakfast under the sound of gulls calling overhead. The morning passed in an easy rhythm—walking along the beach, the sun catching in Neuvillette’s hair like silver light on a wave, and Wriothesley making some excuse every few minutes just to touch him. Fingers brushing. A hand on his waist. A kiss stolen under the guise of pointing out some shell on the shore.

When they returned to the villa, the afternoon light had turned golden. Wriothesley coaxed Neuvillette onto the couch, pressing close until their knees touched.

“You ever think about the future?” Wriothesley asked quietly, tracing the back of Neuvillette’s hand with his thumb.

Neuvillette’s gaze softened, though he did not look away. “I have lived long enough to know that the future is…uncertain. But this—” he squeezed Wriothesley’s fingers, “—this is certain.”

It was not the answer Wriothesley expected, but it was enough.

That evening, they went swimming in the shallows, the water warm against their skin. Wriothesley laughed—loud, unguarded, as Neuvillette pulled him under and pressed a quick kiss to his lips beneath the waves. They surfaced breathless, the sound of the ocean blending with their laughter.

Later, wrapped in towels, they sat on the balcony again. The sky was painted with streaks of violet and rose, the moon rising slow and patient.

“Promise me something else,” Wriothesley murmured, leaning against Neuvillette’s shoulder.

“What is it?”

“If the day comes when I’m not the same man you married… remember this week. Remember me like this.”

Neuvillette pressed a kiss to his temple. “I will. As long as water flows, I will remember.”

The night deepened. Somewhere far out at sea, a ship’s bell rang. But here, in the villa above the waves, time still pretended to be theirs alone.

Wriothesley turned to face Neuvillette fully, cupping his face gently in his hands. “Then stay with me tonight,” he whispered.

Neuvillette smiled, leaning in without hesitation. Their lips met in a kiss that was slow, urgent, and electric. Fingers tangled in hair, breaths mingled, hearts racing in tandem. The world outside the villa melted away, leaving only the taste of each other, the warmth of skin, and the unspoken promise that this moment was theirs, forever.

When they finally pulled back, foreheads pressed together, they laughed softly into the quiet night, savoring the closeness, the intimacy, and the undeniable truth: love like theirs could drown out time itself, if only for a little while. But all Wriothesley cared about in the moment was getting Neuvillette out of his night robe.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3 — When Night Falls

The villa was quiet, the only sound the soft lap of the tide against the shore below. Wriothesley’s fingers traced the line of Neuvillette’s collar, lingering where the robe slipped slightly at his shoulder. The Iudex’s skin was impossibly smooth, cool under his touch, like a promise of endless temptation.

Wriothesley leaned closer, lips brushing the nape of Neuvillette’s neck, eliciting a low, shivering gasp. “I’ve waited for this all day,” he murmured, voice rough and intimate, thick with want.

Neuvillette tilted his head, lips parting, eyes half-lidded. “Then don’t wait any longer.”

Wriothesley slid the robe from Neuvillette’s shoulders, letting it fall with a soft rustle. His hands mapped every line of Neuvillette’s chest, memorizing the perfection of muscles, the subtle shiver of skin under fingertips. He leaned down, lips tracing a path over the collarbone, down the sternum, tasting the slight salt of the Iudex’s skin.

Neuvillette’s hands tangled in Wriothesley’s hair, tugging him closer, guiding him, urging him. Their kiss deepened, tongues exploring, hungry and greedy, as if each second apart had been torture. Wriothesley pressed his body against Neuvillette’s, hips grinding softly, hearts racing in perfect sync.

Every touch, every bite, every whispered moan pulled them further into heat. Wriothesley’s hands roamed lower, gripping hips, tracing the curve of thighs, the press of flesh. Neuvillette gasped, back arching into him, surrendering in ways he rarely allowed.

They broke only to look at one another, breaths coming in shallow pants, eyes dark and molten. The moonlight painted Neuvillette’s hair silver-blue, lips swollen, skin flushed and luminous. Wriothesley growled low, impossibly hungry, as he pressed forward again, claiming every inch of him.

“I want all of you,” Wriothesley whispered, lips brushing Neuvillette’s ear, teeth grazing the sensitive skin. “Every single part.”

Neuvillette shivered, lips meeting his in a fierce, consuming kiss, hands roaming, pulling, holding, never letting go. The world outside ceased to exist—only the heat, the moans, the rhythm of bodies pressed together, lost in the fire of desire.

When they finally paused, chests heaving, foreheads pressed together, the villa was heavy with their scent, their sweat, the undeniable aftermath of passion. But Wriothesley’s gaze was sharp, almost predatory. “Not a single inch of you is safe,” he murmured, voice low, rough, teasing, “and I plan to prove it.”

But first… he thought, I need to get him out of this darn robe

Chapter Text

Chapter 4 — The Tide Takes Us

The villa was silent except for the waves crashing below. Wriothesley pressed Neuvillette onto the bed, hips grinding deliberately, hands roaming over every inch of the Iudex’s flawless body. Neuvillette gasped, fingers clutching the sheets as Wriothesley leaned down, capturing his lips in a kiss that was hungry, rough, and claiming.

“You’re mine tonight,” Wriothesley growled, lips trailing along Neuvillette’s neck, teeth grazing the soft skin, eliciting a shiver that ran through him like electricity.

Neuvillette tilted his head, lips parted, eyes half-lidded. “Then take me,” he whispered, voice trembling, surrendering fully to Wriothesley’s dominance.

Wriothesley’s hands moved with precision, exploring, memorizing, marking. He slid his fingers over the smooth skin of Neuvillette’s chest, down to the curve of his hips, parting him gently, teasing, coaxing. Neuvillette’s back arched, a soft moan escaping as heat pooled and tension coiled tight between them.

Then Wriothesley brought his hand down sharply on Neuvillette’s ass, earning a startled gasp. “That’s for being too perfect,” he murmured, smirk in his voice. A second, firmer smack, and Neuvillette whimpered, legs trembling under his touch. Every sting of his hand drew a moan that made Wriothesley’s chest tighten with need.

Lowering his head, Wriothesley pressed his lips to Neuvillette’s inner thigh, teasing, licking, tasting. Neuvillette gasped, fingers tangling in Wriothesley’s hair, hips pressing up instinctively. Every soft moan, every shiver, every breathless plea fed Wriothesley’s hunger.

“All of you…every piece of you,” Wriothesley murmured, voice low, rough, dripping with want. His body pressed down, hands gripping, spanking, marking. Neuvillette responded with soft cries and quivers, lost in pleasure, completely surrendered.

Wriothesley’s lips returned to Neuvillette’s, tongue tangling in his mouth, moaning into the kiss while his hands roamed lower again, teasing, pleasuring, worshiping. Neuvillette’s soft whimpers turned to gasps of need, hips rolling instinctively, surrender total, helpless and exquisite.

Their rhythm quickened, moans mingling with whispered names, every touch, kiss, and playful sting of Wriothesley’s hand driving them higher. The room was heavy with heat, sweat, desire, and the intoxicating surrender of Neuvillette’s body to Wriothesley’s control.

Finally, they collapsed together, chests heaving, bodies slick and trembling, foreheads pressed together. Wriothesley whispered, “Every piece, forever. Mine.”

Neuvillette smiled weakly, exhausted, breathless, and completely Wriothesley’s. “Yours,” he whispered back, surrender absolute, and completely entwined.