Wriothesley Fluff - Tumblr Posts

𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐚 ˚☕·˚ ⋆₊˚ˑ༄ؘ

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐟𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞! ˗ˏˋ☕ˎˊ˗

•°. *࿐ Your cafe is claimed by your regulars to be a precious gem in Fontaine. with a plentiful assortment of only the finest brews and ingredients imported from other nations, it isn't hard to attract the attention of those strolling by the streets of Quartier Lyonnais.

You specialize in not just selling homemade pastries and jam or coffee, but tea. From simple Inazuman matcha to pungent and earthy pu'er from Liyue, you can brew up just about any variety. Your carefully hand-picked blends, fresh and luxurious, tend to be more favored amongst your customers rather than the ordinary servings of coffee. Now, everyone demands your tea, and normal cappuccinos and expressos are pushed to the side, forgotten.

There is something different about your small business that is just incomparable to other cafes on the same street. It's very welcoming, with all of the little pots of sweet-smelling, colorful flowers growing at the front door, the cute menu propped outside the window with all of the week's special selections printed in neat, loopy handwriting, and the tantalizing fragrance of rich baked goods.

Inside, wooden shelves with extending rows of packaged bags tied up with pink ribbon and labeled jars of dried tea leaves line the wall behind the counter and your workspace where you conjure up every single beverage by hand.

Each day, the smell of the store seems to change.

One Monday, refreshing mint and sugary fruit, Wednesday is reserved for the mouth-watering scent of buttered bread that you whip up to restock the glass displays, and Fridays are sometimes rainy, and when waves of chamomile crash onto the front doorstep nothing but floral notes of rose and warm apples fill your nostrils.

Recently, the past few weeks have gone by steadily. The mornings are the busiest, when the heavy curtains are pulled away and the open sign is hung up on the door, most of your usual customers rush in for a to-go bag of berry scones and their favorite blend poured into paper cups with decorated lids stuck on top.

You work assiduously and to show what makes your tea, well, yours, you take extra care when it comes to the orders you receive.

Each cup always includes a special sticky note with either a little individual message for most of your frequent patrons who enjoy chatting with you no matter the time of day, or messily scribbled smiley faces and stars and words of encouragement. It's your unique trademark and you can only hope that your purple-inked notes can make someone's day just a bit better.

Surely, one of your customers must have spread the word about your distinctive way of preparing your tea, because one day, when you least expected it, crowds of people were grouped outside the door while you had temporarily closed for your lunch break. It was overwhelming, with all of the new faces to greet and welcome inside, and the enormous amounts of custom beverages you had to make. A rush of excitement overcame you on that unforgettable day. It was hard getting through everyone all by yourself, and while you wished you had someone else to lend a hand, you felt a sense of accomplishment and took pride in your hard work.

The bustle died down over the next couple of days, and soon, you were operating back at a more consistent pace you could easily deal with without breaking a single sweat. But your business has definitely gained popularity since you've been having more customers than you did several months ago.

The people weren't just your customers, but many have been made your friends. The elderly of Fontaine who come in for a cup of jasmine and your scrumptious pound cake are very fond of you and your sweet personality, finding your company as bright as sunshine. They were kind, always sitting at the table near your brewing station, and you enjoyed conversing with them back and forth as you took orders, always welcome into their daily gossiping sessions.

The success brought you a sense of happiness you had once been separated from, and you felt as though everything was finally moving down the right path.

It's Tuesday, and Tuesdays are more of a relaxing day. The soothing aftermath of the tumultuous storm Monday was.

Early afternoon, the clock ticks, and the hand points to three twenty-seven. there are no customers currently dining in and Fontaine has stopped at a peaceful rest. It's just you and the comfort of your shop.

To indulge in the serenity, you make yourself your favorite blend. Popping open the lid of the jar of shriveled matcha leaves, you dig into the green blend with a measuring spoon and place it in a tea strainer. It falls to the bottom of your glass with a meek clink! and you pour in the scorching hot water from your kettle.

A fresh batch of scones is baking in the oven of your workspace, it's a new recipe you decided to test out. Dried cranberries and chopped almonds, a simple combination that you think will work well for when the cold arrives.

Sitting at the counter, perched on a tall chair, you blow at your green tea and drink prudently, fearful of somehow managing to burn your tongue. Even as an expert with your magical tea-making hands, you have not mastered the art of comfortably drinking cups of liquid flames. The bottom of the cup, wet with moisture from when you washed it not a long while ago, sits comfortably on a pink fabric coaster you knitted up, and you stare down at your reflection in the murky tea while listening to the ticking of the oven timer.

Boredom strikes once the clock hits three thirty, and you crank up the music on the radio. It's soothing, the tune that switches on, and the beat in the background reminds you of the pitter-pattering of rain against the window.

The bells hung at the top of the front door jingle merrily and the startling sound jolts you out of your absentminded reverie. You crane your head to peer at who is entering. Another new face. An intimidating one, at that. Most people would recognize the Duke of the Fortress of Meropide, but you, who had only arrived in Fontaine a few months before to start your business again from scratch, hadn't a clue who the mysterious man could have been.

Your spoon that you were previously stirring around in your tea is dropped back in with a light splash, staining the countertop as you try to clumsily muster up the words to welcome the customer and reach for a napkin to clean up your mistake.

Wriothesley watches you struggle from the front door before making his way inside. His first impression of you, when you were staring off in the distance and daydreaming, has completely changed. You seemed so peaceful when your mind was elsewhere, yet you were a total klutz when it came to reality. It's slightly amusing to watch, how much you fumble to properly clean up and stammer over your words, but he manages to keep a straight face.

"Welcome...!" You squeak from the counter, not even noticing that he was quickly approaching. Your voice trails off as you quickly glance down to wipe away the spill on the counter and toss the napkin off to the side.

You keep your head low and count inside your head for five seconds to both regain your "professional" composure and scold yourself. Wriothesley barely has the time to return your greeting.

"What can I get for you?" When you lift your head up, you're met with the sight of his stony eyes examining yours, and you pull back, startled. When did he even sit down?

The only thing that comes to mind when you eye the stranger is that the puffy dunes in his hair resemble pup ears, and the thought makes you stifle a laugh. An intimidating face paired with strange hair...

He seems to notice the way you falter for a moment and he awkwardly clears his throat, stiff expression softening a bit.

"What do you recommend? I'd like to try a cup of tea, any variety would be fine,"

"Hm, alright then," You ponder for a bit, turning around as you scan the tea shelves. Seeing how he wasn't familiar when it came to the vast world of tea flavors, you chose something simple.

"How does white tea sound? It's very subtle," You offer kindly, stretching up on your tippy toes to grab the jar of white tea leaves from the tall shelf. You open the lid and tilt the container over in his direction, showing him the long wrinkled buds.

Wriothesley, a man who loves drinking tea, has never tasted actual high-quality tea, let alone made a cup for himself. He wants to, of course, as he is aware of all sorts of tea there is, but to experience the finer end of tea is something he has never done.

With his line of work, he's busy. When he wants tea, all he does is go out and buy a couple cheap tea bags of his favorite brand, bring it back home, and toss one into a cup of hot water. Making loose-leaf tea, from what he has heard, is a tedious process, the hardest part being the tea leaf picking. Tea leaves are expensive. The cost to enjoy upscale things, he supposes.

Even if he had enough to purchase some for his own, it was hard to find them, which must have been why your store was so well-liked since you weighed and sold tea leaves by the pound with your own homespun stamp and branded label.

Fascinated by the sight of freshly harvested tea leaves up close, he nods eagerly, "That sounds lovely. I'll have a cup,"

Another thing that Wriothesley notices about you is that you are certainly clumsy, but not when you're working.

Your back is turned to him while you try to settle down your workspace (which is untidily strewn with several used tea strainers, slips of paper with squiggly writing and doodles that are illegible from his sight, and bits of tea leaves), but he can tell by the thorough manner your hands move that you take each cup of tea very seriously. There's a perfectionistic glow in your benign eyes, a visible glint of determination that somehow enthralls him.

You call out to him after arranging a precisely measured amount of tea leaves on a strainer as the kettle is bubbling on the small stove, "Would you like anything else in your tea? Perhaps extra lemon or honey...?"

"Both, please,"

"Good choice! Coming right up. It's nearly done,"

A spritz of lemon juice from a slice you just cut mixed with a dash of honey, and it's finally finished. As you set down the white mug of piping tea, you peel off a little sticker mark with your cafe's name from a notepad you were carrying and stick it onto the front of the cup.

"Please enjoy," You present it to him with a coaster underneath and a soft smile.

"Thank you," Wriothesley waits for it to cool a bit, eyes lingering on you longer than they probably should as you wait for him to try it. You notice how handsome his weary features really are and anticipation gnaws away at you as he gingerly blows at the steam.

The dinging of your oven timer breaks your gaze away from him and scurry over to check on your scones that were long forgotten. A wave of relief washes over you as you pull out the dessert tray and from the awkward eye contact, you find your hands to be slightly shaky and your cheeks warm as you let the scones rest on the counter.

The corners of Wriothesley's lips turn up a bit and he chuckles at your embarrassment, a sound that is far sweeter than you would have ever expected to come from the man. When he languidly takes his first taste of the tea, you don't think he's as frightening as he first appeared.

You find yourself panicking a bit and you aren't sure why you care so much about his opinion, but you're rambling and spouting nonsense before you can fully register it.

"How does it taste? Is it to your liking? I may have added too much lemon, and I know some people don't like their tea too sour. I can make you a new cup, if you want me t-"

"It's perfect," He reassures you with a warm grin and you instantly close your mouth.

"It tastes even better than I can make myself, which is probably expected since I just use cheap tea bags. The lemon adds the right amount of citrus. It's wonderful as is, I promise,"

He drinks about half of it before adding a charming, "Thank you very much,"

The racing of your heart relaxes and you can't help but return his smile with an eased sigh, "Phew, you had me worried there. You're very welcome... as long as it tastes good, that's really all I can ask for,"

Your eyes travel back to the scones that are now mildly warm and you light up.

"Would you like a scone with your tea? It's a new recipe I'm trying, and... I could use a taste tester," You try to say slickly, bringing over the tray.

"Of course, you don't have to if you don't want to-"

"Count me in," Wriothesley says, somewhat enthusiastically, and the way you perk up happily is the best possible way to repay him.

You eagerly slide to him the nicest shaped scone out of the batch on a small brown napkin, and he realizes that he can't stop himself from smiling. To pull himself together, he coughs into his hand and holds back the idiotic grin threatening to spread on his lips.

He picks up the scone, inspecting the cute homemade sort of look it has, "What's inside of it?"

"Dried cranberries and almonds. I wanted to release a new version to see how it would do with the customers, and I had those ingredients left in my pantry so I whipped something up," You explain bashfully, poking at one yourself.

"They're a bit lumpy, though... I think I've been losing my charm at, erm, shaping things recently. I'm too used to making cakes with those fun molds,"

He gives a small laugh, "They're special in their own way. Gives them more character," He insists, breaking off a piece to eat.

It's moderately sweet, having more of a bread-like taste than a cake or cookie. The cranberries pop nicely and are delightfully tart, while the almonds give more texture.

He lets out an approving hum as he chews before you can even ask for his feedback.

"Delicious," He says with a nod, taking more bites, and you huff a bit, narrowing your eyes at him, a far contrast to the usual kind look you always have.

"Hm, I have a feeling you're just saying that to make me feel better..."

Another chuckle escapes him as he shakes his head earnestly, "I'm being honest. It tastes good. Why don't you give it a try yourself?"

And so you do. It's a bit dry, could use more cranberries maybe? But it really isn't as bad as you were expecting.

Wriothesley sees the surprised widening of your eyes, "See? Perhaps you're just underestimating yourself. I'd buy these any day. I think your customers will love them,"

He pops the last of his scone and finishes it up, wiping his fingers on the napkin.

"I'll take your word for it," You murmur, rosy pink rising to your cheeks as you look off to the side with hidden frustration.

Loads of people applauded your success. New friends you had made ever since coming to Fontaine complimented how delicious your tea was, customers who tried your desserts for the first time praised you greatly, and the elderly ladies who regularly dined in flattered you and made several comments about your beauty. All of which you responded humbly to. Not once did they make you nervous, more so grateful. So why was it that you were getting all giddy over some random man? Because he liked your scones?

As you fall silent, Wriothesley downs about half of the rest of his tea. He really wasn't lying when he said yours was better than any cup he's brewed for himself.

He clears his throat, noticing how engrossed you were with the window.

"May I have some more honey?" He asks. You look over at him, dismissing your useless train of thought. At his silly question, you're back to all smiles in no time and he prefers that more than when you're distraught.

"Yes, of course. How much would you like?"

"A spoonful would do,"

You hand him a spoon with more of the same honey you originally put into his tea and he thanks you for it, stirring it around to his liking before he's back to sipping.

Surprisingly, the rest of the time he spends with you is not as awkward as before. He's an expert at making small talk, it seems, nearly as much as an expert you are at tea. His voice is comforting, rich, and a little cheeky, you realize, when you learn he has a slight teasing side to him. It could put you to sleep, you think to yourself.

It doesn't feel like he's a simple customer, but more of a companion. Like someone you had known your whole life, and you don't think you've ever had a conversation go as smoothly as this one. By the end of it, you're genuinely laughing and it's a real laugh, not the sheepish ones you make when you're talking to any other customer. He does and doesn't make you nervous at the same time.

Nearly an hour passes by in a flash, his tea is cold when he downs the last of it. You're a bit upset when he says he has to leave.

"Thank you for..." You try to search for the right words, just like you were when he first entered.

"For talking with me. I enjoyed it very much..." You admit shyly, "-Wriothesley," You added quickly, testing how it officially sounded on your tongue.

He grins at the use of his name, "Of course. The tea was amazing. Perhaps I'll visit soon, to help you taste-test again,"

You really hope he does.

"I'll be sure to have a new recipe for you to try then!"

Once he's gone, you clean up his cup of tea. Recalling how he had been scraping his spoon against the bottom, some moments he was intently fixated on whatever was going on. Curious, you peek into the mug, nearly dropping it onto the floor by what you see.

The tiny bits of tea leaves leftover, like a trail of ants, curve into the small shape of a heart.

(kinda rushed bc i was so excited to release this, my first full length fanfic!! wrio's kinda occ, but he's still cute and silly. my only thoughts for the ending: rizzley.)

(ignore any mistakes im too tired. all forms of interactions such as reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated!! i hope this doesnt flop)

also yes, i headcannon wrio drinks cheap tea fight me

x : LUNCH BREAK :*+ﾟ

in which: you don't visit wriothesley during his lunch break after last night's argument, so he goes to the court of fontaine just to see you.

warnings: approx. 1.9k words, PURE FLUFF, gn!reader x pathetic and soppy and lovesick wriothesley, canon setting, reader works at the court of fontaine, post-argument so very minimal angst, probs not in character LOL

a/n: there's not a lot of content regarding fontaine or wriothesley rn so i apologise if this isn't completely in character. what i do not apologise for, however, is the urge to make him as lovesick as possible.

There is a notable tension in the Fortress of Meropide, and although a prison isn’t a place for rainbows and sunshine, today it feels especially devastating. It seems that the lord of the prison is the one responsible for it.

Brooding at his desk, Wriothesley glances occasionally at the clock on his desk, growing more and more impatient with each document he has to read through. He is waiting for something: a knock on his door. He is waiting for the call of his name, the reason for their interruption, then your name will reach his ears and an unmatched excitement will bloom in his chest. Then you’ll slip through the doors with lunch for two, he’ll pull out a chair for you right beside him, and mask professionalism that betrays the eagerness your presence always brings out. 

Your absence must be because of the argument that happened last night. One that remained unresolved because he went to bed before you, too furious to try to talk it out. Yet, when Wriothesley woke in the morning, a wave of guilt washed over him when you weren’t pressed against him like usual. Instead, you were on the other side of the mattress, further than an arm’s length away whilst turned away from him and Fontaine’s chilly mornings had never felt colder.

If he didn’t need to go to work much earlier than you, he would have waited until you had woken up to leave, but being the lord of the Fortress of Meropide meant that his presence was demanded. So, with a lingering kiss to your cheek and then your temple, he leaves into the dewy mornings of Fontaine, looking forward to his lunch break that the two of you often share together.

Except now, lunch is almost over and there hasn’t been a knock on his door. No one has called his name- not people he cared about, at least. You haven’t slipped through the heavy set of doors. You haven’t come down from the Court of Fontaine to visit him, and Wriothesley’s patience is thinning.

His fingers itch with the need to hold you, to tuck you close to his chest and just keep you there for a few moments as time pass by. Especially after last night, Wriothesley needs you now more than ever. 

By the time there’s only one hour left in the work day, he snaps. Stands up from his seat with an unmatched sense of fervour because of the unnervingly quiet day and snatches his coat from the hanger, leaving documents unread as he makes a beeline for the exit of the prison. The guards listen attentively to Wriothesley’s final commands for the day in his absence and once the information is cemented, the dark-haired is off without another second wasted.

You, on the other hand, sit in your office drowned in piles upon piles of papers. Wriothesley is a passing thought every now and then, the memories of last night’s harsh argument settling like weights in your stomach. You miss Wriothesley, very dearly, and all you want is to settle things with him. However, the image of his furious eyes and clenched jaw terrifies you beyond belief, you’re not even sure if he’ll be calmer by the time you get home, so for the first time ever, you dread the idea of going home. 

What you are completely unaware of, however, is your lover that is storming your way, desperate to receive the medicine that will cure his moodiness and irritation. 

The knock on your door distracts you from the piles of papers on your desk. 

“Who is it?” you call out, voice reverberating around the spaciousness of your office.

“It’s Wriothesley, can I come in?” His tone is sharp and leaves no room for you to reject him, but the mere sound of his voice causes you to stiffen, grip on your pen tightening as the papers before you lay forgotten. 

What is Wriothesley doing here? He normally never comes up to the Court of Fontaine just to see you because leaving the prison would be far too neglectful. There was also half an hour before he was done for the day, so could there be official business that needs to be discussed? Something urgent, perhaps? 

If it was urgent, then why come to you and not Monsieur Neuvillette- or even Lady Furina?

“Yeah- yes, you can come in,” you mutter.

When the door clicks open, Wriothesley practically barges through, door shutting behind him as he marches towards you. Getting up from your chair, you’re frightened with anticipation due to  how intense his stance is. 

“Is something the matter?” You begin, panic seeping into your voice as he pauses before you, determination setting his eyes ablaze as he eyes you down like prey. “Wriothesley, you’re scaring me, did something happen at the prison-”

“Where were you at lunch?” He demands.

You blink. “Excuse me?”

“Why didn’t you come visit?” 

“Is… is why you came up here? To ask why I didn’t visit you during lunch?”

He nods, expression stern as usual save for a small pout.

“I was swamped with work,” you half-lie, gesturing to the desk behind you and although there is clear evidence on your table through the form of stacked folders and paper, a storm of uncertainty brews in his blue eyes. “I couldn’t visit if I wanted to get these done, I apologise.”

The dark-haired frowns. “Is that it?”

“Yes. That’s all.” His eyebrows furrow, creating crease marks in his forehead that you want to kiss away, alleviating his worries, but you hold yourself back from doing so in fear that Wriothesley does not want you touching him. 

However, a switch is flicked when Wriothesley’s stern expression softens, melting into one resembling a kicked dog. “So you’re not upset with me?” 

“Oh, is that also on your mind?”

“Of course, I don’t like it when you’re upset with me,” your lover mutters, looking away bashfully to conceal the reddening of his cheeks. “You aren’t though, right?”

“No, not upset. Scared, maybe, but definitely not upset.” 

His eyes are glossy when he looks back at you. “Scared, why are you scared?” 

“W-we didn’t end on a good note last night,” you rub your wrist nervously. “I didn’t know if you would be happy with seeing me. On top of that, you can be really intimidating sometimes, so admittedly, I was a little scared to come see you just in case that you did not want me there.”

Wriothesley visually deflates with your last statement, shoulders dropping and eyes glistening as he murmurs a small, pathetic, “is that so?”

He wonders what part about him ever made it seem like he never wants you beside him, and the thought that he had frightened you enough to prevent you visiting him is an upsetting one. You must see it in his eyes with the way you frantically begin to explain yourself. 

“Oh no, darling, I didn’t mean it like that-”

He turns his head away again, disappointed in himself. It’s one thing for his prisoners to consider him intimidating but it’s another for you, his own lover, to think so as well, and the thought that he had scared you creates insurmountable shame to swell within him. Yet, his whirlwind of anxieties ceases when your hand goes to cup his cheek, gently prompting him to look at you. Then, a kiss is pressed to the corner of his lips, and his heart skips a beat at the sensation, love blocking his airways when you pull away to smile up at him. 

“As scary as you might be, oh great lord of the Fortress of Meropide, I also know you will never hurt me,” you reassure. “Rather, I feel safest when I’m around you, please never doubt that.”

Wriothesley sighs, hand snaking up to grip your waist and pull you closer to him. “Thank you, my love. But I beg, even if you assume I am upset with you, please keep visiting my office during lunch, it is the part of the day I look forward to most.”

“If that is your request then maybe you just need to be good and listen to me instead of arguing until your head pops off,” you tease, patting his face twice and he huffs before muttering an ‘understood’. Anything to see you. “Is there something else you need from my office?”

“No, just wanted to see you,” he looks at the brown paper bag in his hands. “I brought you lunch, just in case you didn’t eat.” 

“Wriothesley,” you melt, “how thoughtful of you. I’ll make sure to eat it when I finish reading those contracts.”

“You should eat now, though. Don’t drown yourself in work, it’s not healthy.”

“I wish it were that easy, but these piles were dumped on my desk this morning and were assigned to be done by the end of the week.”

The hand that was on your waist comes up to gently hover over your cheek and Wriothesley studies you, icy eyes hardening due to the fatigue present in your expression. You grab his wrist, trying to diverge his attention, but you should know better than assuming that your wellbeing isn’t of utmost importance to him. “Unacceptable, I should have a word with your supervisor-”

“-no, no, Wriothesley! I insist, this is manageable.”

He frowns, deep and serious before surrendering to your pleas. “Fine, but if it doesn’t get better by the end of the week, then I will be interfering.”

“If you do so, my supervisor will be too scared to come in for a month,” you squeeze his wrist and gently guide it away from your face, ignorant to how your neglect for your own health hurts Wriothesley as well. He knows you love your job, but he still thinks that you deserve to live life carefree, that you should get everything you want without ever lifting a finger. “It’s alright, dear, you mustn’t worry about me when your work is a thousand times more stressful.”

“Impossible.” He worries about you every second of the day. Telling Wriothesley to stop fretting over you would be like telling him to stop breathing. “Now eat.” 

You yelp when he pulls you towards your chair, sitting you down. From the paper bag, he takes out a sandwich, one that you recognise is from one of fontaine’s favourite cafés, and he carefully unwraps it before raising it to your mouth.

“Wriothesley… this is a little embarrassing,” you whisper, wrapping your arms around yourself.

He doesn’t say anything, just persistently stares at you, gaze intense enough for you to give in. As you lean in to take the first bite, you are bashfully looking away from your lover, who wears a pleased expression, satisfied with the fact that you’re letting him take care of you. 

The tension from last night’s dispute hasn’t completely melted away, there are still things that need to be discussed calmly, but as you keep trying to push his hand away and battle Wriothesley’s indestructible stubbornness, he knows it will work out in the end. You love him and he loves you, and if you ever forget to visit him during lunch break again, then he’ll have to tear himself away from the prison and come up, just to meet you.

© EARTHTOOZ 2023, do not steal, translate, repost my fics and do not recommend my fics onto any other site.

underground fighter wriothesley who absolutely melts whenever you patch him up n place the softest kisses over his bruises n stuff :((

- 🦋 anon

✩ ‧₊˚ ✩ WE, NOT I — WRIOTHESLEY.

contents. underground fighter! wriothesley, gn! reader (he gifts you flowers, perfume and a necklace though, so if that is fem! coded to you, there’s your warning), mentions of foster care and being orphaned (wriothesley), mentions of blood, bruises, and injuries (wriothesley), slight angst but overall fluff ending

money’s tight—has been for a while, actually. wriothesley doesn’t like to talk about it, doesn’t like to open up even though he knows you won’t think any less of him. but you notice the small things, always do.

it’s the way you buy groceries for two, the way he’s always over for dinner one way or another, the way he seems to spend more and more time at your place than his. money’s tight, even if he doesn’t like to admit it—and you could never force it out of him, but you think letting him stay with you while he can could help ease the burden of living even if a little.

he’s grateful—a little roundabout in the ways he shows it, but grateful all the same.

and then the presents start to come.

it’s small at first: those expensive macarons you like from that bakery, the bouquet of roses that couldn’t be cheap, a nice dinner he insists he can pay for every once in a while. and then it starts to get bigger: fancy tea from the side of town neither of you even think about shopping at, perfume from a brand you can’t even pronounce, a necklace that’s more than what you can afford yourself.

it starts out slow, and then all at once, wriothesley has what you imagine to be more money than he knows what to do with. because why else spoil you like this? why else blow money on things for you when he could be putting it towards himself?

not everyone gets to have a head start at life—wriothesley is proof of that. it’s hard, more than most people realize, to be orphaned so young and move through foster home after foster home. he’d gone to jail once too—he doesn’t talk about that either, and you never ask. it’s hard, more than anyone gives him credit for, to be knocked down by life so many times and make a living for yourself.

you can’t understand where the sudden change comes from, can’t pinpoint where along the line he started getting so comfortable. it’s not unwelcome, you would never want to watch him just barely scrap by, but it concerns you how he seems to have so much all at once.

and then you get your answer.

“what—what happened to you?” you ask in disbelief, eyeing the blood caked by his nose and around his knuckles. that’s the best of it, unfortunately—the gashes on his chest and the bruises somehow look even worse.

you’d consider him lucky that his ribs don’t seem cracked.

“just a fight,” he shrugs, not meeting your eyes. wriothesley is a lot of things: resourceful, conniving at times, and braver than most. good at lying is not one of them, however—at least not with you. “just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“where were you, then?” you challenge, staring at him hard enough that he doesn’t have to meet your eyes to shuffle uncomfortably in his spot. he doesn’t answer. you’re almost fed up. “wriothesley,” you say in a warning tone.

there’s a sense of finality he doesn’t like.

“what happened to wrio, sweetheart? you’re killin’ me here, i come home to you all bruised up and you’re here beating me down harder—”

“wriothesley, i’m worried about you,” you whisper tiredly. it’s defeated—it’s almost helpless. he frowns, finally looking up at you from his place between your legs as you sit on the bathroom counter.

“you don’t have to be,” he mumbles, “i can take care on my own. i always have.”

“there’s no being on your own when we’re together,” you shake your head. your hands fall to either side of your body, shoulders slumping in exhaustion. “don’t you understand? neither of us is supposed to be on our own anymore—not when the other is here.”

“yeah,” he crosses his arms—you try to ignore the wince he lets out as he moves, “and now you’re not handling things on your own anymore. i’m carrying my weight. just need to fight a guy or two.”

“you’re carrying your weight by fighting?” you blink at the realization. he doesn’t look you in your eyes, keeping them trained on the floor again. “oh my god—is that what these are from? because….because you’re fighting some punks in the middle of the night? that’s illegal—and you could get in trouble again—”

he doesn’t seem to like being reminded of his past. that’s clear when he clicks his teeth and glares at you. “and what am i supposed to do, stay cooped up in your place and eat your food?” he asks bitterly, making your brows furrow.

“not necessarily, but you can—”

“what, so i just live paycheck to paycheck and shower at your place and sleep in your bed so my water and electricity bills aren’t too high for the month?”

“wrio—”

“i’m earning, aren’t i? what’s the big deal?”

“the big deal is this,” you wave your hand exasperatedly, tears welling up by the lash line of your eyes as you stare at his bruises with trembling lips, “look at you. it’s not worth it if you come back to me like this.”

“but i come back,” he mumbles, taking your hand—he kisses the knuckles, rubs a rough thumb over the smooth skin before laying your palm against his cheek and sighing. “i always come back.”

you love wriothesley—have since the day you met him, you think. he’s easy to fall for like that, to feel your stomach go in twists and knots every time he makes a sarcastic joke and throws you a charming smile. life has been tough on the man you love, unfairly so. it’s hit him harder and harder and pushed him back to his knees before he ever got a chance to fully stand up.

he’s hitting back, now. maybe in a more literal sense than you’d hoped, but….but maybe you can help him if you can’t change him. maybe you can keep the pieces together until the plaster holds and they’re not so fragile anymore.

“i don’t like seeing you hurt,” you whisper, leaning in to kiss the broken skin on his cheekbone, “you don’t have to do all this. we were doing okay before that.”

we. he shudders at that. it’s always we and never i—even when you did all the heavy lifting. even when he was barely getting by and you were giving more than you should’ve had to, more than he should’ve needed. it’s always we. never i.

you and him.

“i know,” he melts, humming as your fingers thread into his tousled hair, scratching his scalp as he buries his face into your neck, “just let me save a bit more. and then i’ll do something real with myself. i promise.”

you pull away after a bit, taking in every bruise and every cut, every dry patch of blood and swollen patch of skin. it’s shaky at first, your voice when you finally speak.

“‘s all bruised,” you say quietly, running a finger over the marks littering his chest. he’s painfully still—doesn’t move a muscle as you lean in slowly and press a kiss to the purplish stain on his skin, gently trailing them to the next one, and the next one, and the next one. “you don’t deserve all this.”

“yeah?” he chuckles—its breathy, a little strained. your arms loop around his waist and bring him closer, “what a sweet thing,” he coos, “nobody ever treats me so gentle.”

you frown at that. the world is not gentle with wriothesley—you’ll have to be extra gentle to make up for it.

“you’ll be safe? you’ll pull out when it’s too much, right? and you’ll come back? without being too hurt, right? wrio, you can’t—”

“yeah, yeah, i got it,” he huffs, pressing his forehead to yours, letting your hands cup his cheeks. he leans closer to your touch, shudders as you slowly trace his cheek with your thumb, “just wait at home all pretty for me, yeah? i’ll bring you back something nice.”

“bring me back yourself in once piece,” you huff.

“done,” he smiles, “i’m strong, if you haven’t noticed.”

“yeah? explain this,” you challenge, pressing down on a bruise and making him wince.

“you should see the other guy,” he whines, burying his face back into your neck. you roll your eyes, there’s a scoff in your throat but a smile on your lips.

wriothesley is safe—for now, that’s all you can ask for.

“i love you,” you mumble, “so much. no matter what, okay?”

“no need to get so emotional on me, baby,” he chuckles—and then there’s a tightening of strong arms around your body, a kiss pressed delicately to your neck before a soft, “but i love you too” is murmured into your skin.

“i hope you’re ready to clean those cuts. they’ll sting for sure,” you grumble as you pull away. he grins—handsome, charming, yours.

“will you kiss them better?” he bats his lashes, making you snort.

“no.”

i might make this a reoccurring drabble series too idk yet. anyway you know what else he can beat up ?? this pussy ;)

Mutual Comfort

Content: comfort fluff headcanons, he comforts you and then he gets comforted too, gn reader, you/your, old writing of Wriothesley :p

-Should he say something? Obviously he should, he thinks as he watches your shoulders slump as you enter the shared sleeping quarters. Wriothesley, as big and burly as he is and uncaring on the outset, he cares too much for you to even take a step back to think things through. Rather, he thinks in stride,  approaching you from behind, wrapping his arms around your stomach and burying his cold nose into the crook of your neck. His lips leave a feather light touch against the skin too, but instead of kissing it, he asks you what is wrong, in a tone so soft that it is nearly out of character for him. 

-He rubs your hips as he goads you on to speak to him, please tell him what’s wrong, his touch says, how can he make it better, his kiss to your skin says, he has to do or say something that could possibly improve your mood or else he will crumble along with you

“Mon doux amour, tell me what is bothering you.. Don’t feel like this around me, like you have to hold it all to yourself. I’m not here just to look good or to act like a wall.. I’m your lover, your safe space, mon soleil..” he speaks into your ear, holding you against his chest as if you’d fall if he didn’t have his hands to hold you upright

-Slowly but surely, he pries away at your walls until you spill all the truth of your feelings to him. After he feels the need to stay with you for a while longer, to be your rock. His presence is not overwhelming or pressuring, and he gives you ample space and silence to make you comfortable and safe again. If you wish to be left alone completely, then he obliges, but not before telling you that you can always  turn to him, either for advice, a simple chat or a tea service. It doesn’t matter. He will be there for you to lean on, and he will kiss every insecurity away from your thoughts

-The same sentiment goes for him, even if oftentimes he greatly prioritizes your wellbeing over his own. He knows his limits and that they are nearly skill high, but oftentimes, too, he neglects himself for the sake of longer work hours, especially when there’s an issue in the underworld that needs his attention. He doesn’t want to see this place fail, he is not some snob that likes to see people suffer. If he was, there’d be no infirmary, and no free meals, no entertainment, no coupons, nothing but prison cells and depression and a fortress that would eventually end up flooded

-So when he sees you enter his office with a tray of tea and some snacks, he knows he has gone too far. He buries his face in his hands as he sits at his table, embarrassed to look at you but not too embarrassed not to crack some joke on his expense. And by teasing you, he hopes to lessen the importance of the situation to remove the stress he sees in your eyes and your posture, clear worry written all over you

- ”Surely this isn’t what I think it is ? You’ve missed me? How come?” he grins a toothy grin, but his eyes give away how tired he is and the moment you propose the idea of a break he sighs and his head hangs lower. He knows he can’t persuade you to leave him to his work again and he knows he can’t sweet talk his way out. So he agrees to the tea, and the break, as he always does when you ask. He sits close to you rather than opposite of you. He is craving that contact he didn’t have for the few days he holed himself up in his work business. 

-He is sure to touch you in some gentle manners. He runs his fingers up your forearm and then down, idly stroking the skin with the tips of his calloused fingers as he sips his tea, and then the next time he slides his fingers down towards your hand he sneaks his fingers between yours, interlocking your hands.

-He can’t help but feel at ease like this, and sometimes in situations like these, when it is just the two of you, you can easily catch him looking at you. Admiring you in such a way that is so pure and gentle. Like a puppy. He doesn’t even hide it, and when you catch him, the corners of his mouth twist upwards in a soft smile and his eyes sparkle as you give him attention. How  sweet

-In the privacy of his office, he leans on to you now, his head on your shoulder and his soft breaths warming your skin

-Even when he is stressed, he doesn’t lack words to compliment you inside and outside, and at times he finds himself feeling overwhelmed with the love he feels. He never put his focus on love, and never really thought he’d find someone suitable for him, but now that he has that.. he is almost lost at navigating the territory. He just knows he’d do anything for you.

Translations:

Mon doux amour - my sweet love

mon soleil - my sun

Ⓒ n0tamused. Do not repost, translate, edit, and/or copy any of my works. Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated.

it would be nice to sit somewhere quiet with you

pairing: wriothesley x reader

summary: wriothesley is getting used to having you in his life (fluff)

word count: 1.9k+

a/n: i just assumed he lives in the fortress of meropide + he has a voiceline about how his handcuffs are built differently and can't be unlocked by any old master key, which prompted this ! i love him sm and i want to treat him so kindly

"What's this?"

The question leaves your lips before Wriothesley has completely let go of the small, metallic item in his fist. It's rare for him to invite you out for lunch, especially when it's an offer to meet you in the heart of Fontaine's main city. His invitation arrived at your desk in the form of a handwritten note, stating the time and place.

It's where you find yourself sitting opposite him now -- in a small cafe within a hidden corner of the city. A mostly empty area, but serving a delicious choice of tea and sweets. His words, not yours.

A beat of silence passes between the two of you.

It's broken when you gasp in surprise, cupping the key with one of your hands and dropping it onto the other hand as though expecting it to disappear between your motions. "Oh, I didn't realise this was a special occasion."

"It's so you don't always have to ask when you come down to visit me." He explains plainly, as though his actions haven't caused a complete rewiring in your brain of what you can expect from Wriothesley. He brings out his own room key to compare with yours.

A look of delight crosses your face when you see that they look completely identical. Clearing his throat, he drops his key back into his pocket, leaning his chin onto the palm of his hand. If he lets down his guard anymore, he's certain he'll blush at the adorable way you're acting right now. An odd, panicked thud hits within his chest when he realises you're not even looking at him, too busy gazing down at the key he's given you fondly. His nervousness changes to a pleasant warmth when you look up at him with a smile on your face.

"Thank you."

Wriothesley shrugs, crossing his arms in what he hopes is a nonchalant motion. "If it's for you..." The words trail off quietly as a different train of thought crosses his mind. "I'm glad you liked it." He says instead.

In the fourth months since then, you've visited him exactly six times and stayed over once. Although he's starting to think that it doesn't count, considering you left before he'd woken up. Not that he can recall the note that you left behind for him clearly in his mind. Not that he's counting your visits or memorising your excuses for coming this far his way. And he's definitely not got an eye out for you, knowing when you step into the Fortress of Meropide and the times of your exits.

So, as he stands, eyeing the dark and empty room which should hold you in some corner but doesn't seem to, he gets a little panicky. He knows you entered the Fortress of Meropide a little over an hour ago, although he hasn't kept track of your whereabouts since then. It takes a second for the panicked flutter in his heart to register as worry. But it's rendered him slightly useless. All he's doing is staring at the mattress covered in the soft sheets you'd brought with you on one of your visits in a stupid way.

There's a click from the bathroom door and he just manages to get a glimpse of your silhouette before you've barrelled into his chest. Wriothesley lets out a sigh of relief, letting his hands tangle into your hair. The bathroom, of course.

He hadn't even thought to check whether there was a light peeking out from underneath the door of the bathroom.

"Hi." You mumble, wrapping your arms around him and squeezing lightly. Screw his dislike of surprises apparently. "Did I scare you?"

The subtle teasing tone in your voice has the corners of his lips twitching.

"Obviously." He replies. "Who doesn't turn on the light when they enter the room in complete darkness? Even if they're going to the bathroom to shower first." He interrupts you as he notices you open your mouth to retort back to his question. Without waiting another moment, his hand slides from your hair to your cheeks, using a thumb to stroke your skin gently. His other hand reaches to flick on the light switch, revealing your flushed cheeks from the warm shower.

"I missed you." You say quietly.

He returns your sappiness with a roll of his eyes and a grin. "Can't even go without me for a couple of days, huh?"

"Mhm." You twirl a piece of your hair around your finger in thought. His eyes catch the motion, deciding whether to intertwine his free hand with yours. "When did you get the body wash I liked?"

Without answering, he buries his head into the crook of your neck and breathes deeply. It's warm. You feel yourself squirm at the ticklish sensation, only relaxing once his hand comes up to the back of your neck and massages it. An image sprouts in your mind of a hand holding a kitten by the scruff of its neck and you laugh.

It's always been like this; feeling a little like a give-and-take, except he keeps giving and so do you. A mumbled 'what?' brushes over your shoulder. Something seems to bloom in his chest when he notices you've left things behind in his room again. You don't apologise for it anymore. He wonders exactly when that happened.

Maybe somewhere between the third and fourth time you came over just to sit on his bed with him.

"Nothing." You pull away from the hug to look him over. His hair is tousled a bit more than it usually is, as though he ran all the way here from one side of the fortress to the other. A smile threatens to spread over your face and you bite your lip to stop it from appearing.

Wriothesley raises an eyebrow. You look all warm and cozy after your shower, and he honestly just wants to bundle you up and fall asleep with you in his arms. As though you can see the thought crossing his mind, you untangle yourself from his arms immediately, flopping back onto the bed with your arms spread wide.

Your eyes are closed lazily and you let out a contented sigh. "Ahh, it's so nice that I can curl up in bed since I'm all showered and clean."

Wriothesley gives a throaty laugh at the sight of you. His hands rest on his hips now as he rakes his eyes over your form. "Fine, fine. Want to help?"

You shoot up in bed instantly, eyes wide. "Yes."

"C'mon! Let me see how many layers you're actually wearing."

"Don't dissect me like some kind of insect--"

Wriothesley isn't stopping any of your movements though. Maybe he had something a little more dirty in mind when he made the offer, but it seemed that all you wanted to do was undress him and curl back into bed. He can live with that.

The cape comes off his shoulders first, and surprisingly, it's heavy. A quiet settles over the both of you once you actually move to undress him, and you can feel his eyes scanning your every move. Every movement of your hands against his bare skin or every notice of your intense gaze at his layers of clothing sends a jolt of electricity through him.

It's difficult to tell what he's thinking when he gets like this. You fold his cape neatly in half and place it to the side. You'll start a pile, you decide. As you get to work on pulling off his tie, you realise too late that he'll probably want to hang it up.

Your eyes don't leave his exposed collarbones as you toss his tie over to the side. A guilty feeling weighs you down, and you look up at him, only to find him still watching you with a curious look on his face.

"What? You're pretty," You state, only slightly embarrassed that you've been caught. Before he can retort with anything, you give him a kiss just above his collarbone. Wriothesley takes in a visible sharp breath, and you feel like you've won something. The waistcoat slides off his arms with ease as he lets you nudge him wherever you want.

It's self-consciousness instead of guilt that creeps up onto your next as he still doesn't say a word, merely watching your movements with an intense gaze. You feel a heat burn across your cheeks. You don't even realise you're clenching your fists until one of his hands envelops yours and swipes a thumb over your knuckles.

"You wear so many layers." You're throwing the waistcoat to the side now, shaky hands unbuttoning his shirt.

"It's cold down here." He pauses, tilting his head to think. "And it looks professional."

You snort. "Mm, yes, your loose tie is very professional."

"It adds personality and it makes me look good."

"Not going to argue with that last part." You mumble as your fingers fiddle with his shirt buttons clumsily. Finally, you’re able to get everything off, leaving him shirtless. It’s easier to see his breathing this way. It’s mesmerising. You brush over the scars on his chest absentmindedly. The way his even breathing stutters as you do so brings you back to focus on what you're doing. “Ah, sorry.” 

Before you can move away, he grabs your wrist, holding your splayed, apologetic hand in place. “It’s okay.” His voice is softer when he says that, almost shy. When he’s sure you’re not going to stop touching him, he lets go of your wrist. There are scars accumulated over years of fights and whatever else he hasn’t told you yet. Using just one finger, you trace the outline of a few of them on his chest and his stomach. The whole time, he keeps his breathing even, watching the thoughtful look on your face. As you slowly drop your hand back to your side, he asks a lingering question in his mind. “Can I touch you?” 

“I just showered.” You pout, shoulders slumping slightly at his suggestion. 

“Nothing else, I promise.” 

Wriothesley takes his time. His hand nudges at the top of your loose, bedtime shirt until he can kiss you on your shoulder. Soft pecks trail up to your jawline and his hand tilts your head slightly so he can bite you gently. A tentative hand travels up to the bare skin under your shirt and squeezes the side of your waist. When you don’t object, he pulls the shirt off of you, returning to wrap his arms around you as soon as he does and pulling you close to him. Another kiss, on your cheek this time. Again, on the corner of your lips. And the last one, a yearning press of his lips against yours as his hand strokes your jaw. 

He leans his forehead against yours and closes his eyes. “Just one more minute like this, and then I will be getting into the shower.” 

It’s warm in bed next to you. He’s curled up behind you, still placing kisses against your neck and brushing your hair aside as you squirm in his hold. With his arm slung over your waist, there’s not very much you can do. Maybe he’s addicted to kissing your skin. 

“I think I want to follow you around tomorrow.” You suggest hesitantly. There’s a small moment where you think he might actually say no to you, but he just nods and goes back to kissing your neck, brushing his lips down to your shoulder. 

“It’s pretty boring though. All paperwork and other things that I probably should be doing but I’ll ignore for a bit. Until I can't."

You’ve known him a bit too long, you realise. There’s a distinct lilt to his voice that tells you he’s smiling as he’s saying it, even though he’s got you facing the other way so that you can’t see him. 

“Don’t care.” A sigh leaves your lips as he gives you one more long kiss against your shoulder before pulling away. “I want to hang out with you.” 

You thread your fingers with the hand wrapped around your midriff, fiddling with them as you drift off to sleep. Wriothesley watches the silhouette of you breathing before deciding to leave you be and pull you closer to him instead. 

I think I’m afraid of losing you, he thinks. But maybe it’s still a bit too early to tell you that. 

x : LUNCH BREAK :*+ﾟ

in which: you don't visit wriothesley during his lunch break after last night's argument, so he goes to the court of fontaine just to see you.

warnings: approx. 1.9k words, PURE FLUFF, gn!reader x pathetic and soppy and lovesick wriothesley, canon setting, reader works at the court of fontaine, post-argument so very minimal angst, probs not in character LOL

a/n: there's not a lot of content regarding fontaine or wriothesley rn so i apologise if this isn't completely in character. what i do not apologise for, however, is the urge to make him as lovesick as possible.

There is a notable tension in the Fortress of Meropide, and although a prison isn’t a place for rainbows and sunshine, today it feels especially devastating. It seems that the lord of the prison is the one responsible for it.

Brooding at his desk, Wriothesley glances occasionally at the clock on his desk, growing more and more impatient with each document he has to read through. He is waiting for something: a knock on his door. He is waiting for the call of his name, the reason for their interruption, then your name will reach his ears and an unmatched excitement will bloom in his chest. Then you’ll slip through the doors with lunch for two, he’ll pull out a chair for you right beside him, and mask professionalism that betrays the eagerness your presence always brings out. 

Your absence must be because of the argument that happened last night. One that remained unresolved because he went to bed before you, too furious to try to talk it out. Yet, when Wriothesley woke in the morning, a wave of guilt washed over him when you weren’t pressed against him like usual. Instead, you were on the other side of the mattress, further than an arm’s length away whilst turned away from him and Fontaine’s chilly mornings had never felt colder.

If he didn’t need to go to work much earlier than you, he would have waited until you had woken up to leave, but being the lord of the Fortress of Meropide meant that his presence was demanded. So, with a lingering kiss to your cheek and then your temple, he leaves into the dewy mornings of Fontaine, looking forward to his lunch break that the two of you often share together.

Except now, lunch is almost over and there hasn’t been a knock on his door. No one has called his name- not people he cared about, at least. You haven’t slipped through the heavy set of doors. You haven’t come down from the Court of Fontaine to visit him, and Wriothesley’s patience is thinning.

His fingers itch with the need to hold you, to tuck you close to his chest and just keep you there for a few moments as time pass by. Especially after last night, Wriothesley needs you now more than ever. 

By the time there’s only one hour left in the work day, he snaps. Stands up from his seat with an unmatched sense of fervour because of the unnervingly quiet day and snatches his coat from the hanger, leaving documents unread as he makes a beeline for the exit of the prison. The guards listen attentively to Wriothesley’s final commands for the day in his absence and once the information is cemented, the dark-haired is off without another second wasted.

You, on the other hand, sit in your office drowned in piles upon piles of papers. Wriothesley is a passing thought every now and then, the memories of last night’s harsh argument settling like weights in your stomach. You miss Wriothesley, very dearly, and all you want is to settle things with him. However, the image of his furious eyes and clenched jaw terrifies you beyond belief, you’re not even sure if he’ll be calmer by the time you get home, so for the first time ever, you dread the idea of going home. 

What you are completely unaware of, however, is your lover that is storming your way, desperate to receive the medicine that will cure his moodiness and irritation. 

The knock on your door distracts you from the piles of papers on your desk. 

“Who is it?” you call out, voice reverberating around the spaciousness of your office.

“It’s Wriothesley, can I come in?” His tone is sharp and leaves no room for you to reject him, but the mere sound of his voice causes you to stiffen, grip on your pen tightening as the papers before you lay forgotten. 

What is Wriothesley doing here? He normally never comes up to the Court of Fontaine just to see you because leaving the prison would be far too neglectful. There was also half an hour before he was done for the day, so could there be official business that needs to be discussed? Something urgent, perhaps? 

If it was urgent, then why come to you and not Monsieur Neuvillette- or even Lady Furina?

“Yeah- yes, you can come in,” you mutter.

When the door clicks open, Wriothesley practically barges through, door shutting behind him as he marches towards you. Getting up from your chair, you’re frightened with anticipation due to  how intense his stance is. 

“Is something the matter?” You begin, panic seeping into your voice as he pauses before you, determination setting his eyes ablaze as he eyes you down like prey. “Wriothesley, you’re scaring me, did something happen at the prison-”

“Where were you at lunch?” He demands.

You blink. “Excuse me?”

“Why didn’t you come visit?” 

“Is… is why you came up here? To ask why I didn’t visit you during lunch?”

He nods, expression stern as usual save for a small pout.

“I was swamped with work,” you half-lie, gesturing to the desk behind you and although there is clear evidence on your table through the form of stacked folders and paper, a storm of uncertainty brews in his blue eyes. “I couldn’t visit if I wanted to get these done, I apologise.”

The dark-haired frowns. “Is that it?”

“Yes. That’s all.” His eyebrows furrow, creating crease marks in his forehead that you want to kiss away, alleviating his worries, but you hold yourself back from doing so in fear that Wriothesley does not want you touching him. 

However, a switch is flicked when Wriothesley’s stern expression softens, melting into one resembling a kicked dog. “So you’re not upset with me?” 

“Oh, is that also on your mind?”

“Of course, I don’t like it when you’re upset with me,” your lover mutters, looking away bashfully to conceal the reddening of his cheeks. “You aren’t though, right?”

“No, not upset. Scared, maybe, but definitely not upset.” 

His eyes are glossy when he looks back at you. “Scared, why are you scared?” 

“W-we didn’t end on a good note last night,” you rub your wrist nervously. “I didn’t know if you would be happy with seeing me. On top of that, you can be really intimidating sometimes, so admittedly, I was a little scared to come see you just in case that you did not want me there.”

Wriothesley visually deflates with your last statement, shoulders dropping and eyes glistening as he murmurs a small, pathetic, “is that so?”

He wonders what part about him ever made it seem like he never wants you beside him, and the thought that he had frightened you enough to prevent you visiting him is an upsetting one. You must see it in his eyes with the way you frantically begin to explain yourself. 

“Oh no, darling, I didn’t mean it like that-”

He turns his head away again, disappointed in himself. It’s one thing for his prisoners to consider him intimidating but it’s another for you, his own lover, to think so as well, and the thought that he had scared you creates insurmountable shame to swell within him. Yet, his whirlwind of anxieties ceases when your hand goes to cup his cheek, gently prompting him to look at you. Then, a kiss is pressed to the corner of his lips, and his heart skips a beat at the sensation, love blocking his airways when you pull away to smile up at him. 

“As scary as you might be, oh great lord of the Fortress of Meropide, I also know you will never hurt me,” you reassure. “Rather, I feel safest when I’m around you, please never doubt that.”

Wriothesley sighs, hand snaking up to grip your waist and pull you closer to him. “Thank you, my love. But I beg, even if you assume I am upset with you, please keep visiting my office during lunch, it is the part of the day I look forward to most.”

“If that is your request then maybe you just need to be good and listen to me instead of arguing until your head pops off,” you tease, patting his face twice and he huffs before muttering an ‘understood’. Anything to see you. “Is there something else you need from my office?”

“No, just wanted to see you,” he looks at the brown paper bag in his hands. “I brought you lunch, just in case you didn’t eat.” 

“Wriothesley,” you melt, “how thoughtful of you. I’ll make sure to eat it when I finish reading those contracts.”

“You should eat now, though. Don’t drown yourself in work, it’s not healthy.”

“I wish it were that easy, but these piles were dumped on my desk this morning and were assigned to be done by the end of the week.”

The hand that was on your waist comes up to gently hover over your cheek and Wriothesley studies you, icy eyes hardening due to the fatigue present in your expression. You grab his wrist, trying to diverge his attention, but you should know better than assuming that your wellbeing isn’t of utmost importance to him. “Unacceptable, I should have a word with your supervisor-”

“-no, no, Wriothesley! I insist, this is manageable.”

He frowns, deep and serious before surrendering to your pleas. “Fine, but if it doesn’t get better by the end of the week, then I will be interfering.”

“If you do so, my supervisor will be too scared to come in for a month,” you squeeze his wrist and gently guide it away from your face, ignorant to how your neglect for your own health hurts Wriothesley as well. He knows you love your job, but he still thinks that you deserve to live life carefree, that you should get everything you want without ever lifting a finger. “It’s alright, dear, you mustn’t worry about me when your work is a thousand times more stressful.”

“Impossible.” He worries about you every second of the day. Telling Wriothesley to stop fretting over you would be like telling him to stop breathing. “Now eat.” 

You yelp when he pulls you towards your chair, sitting you down. From the paper bag, he takes out a sandwich, one that you recognise is from one of fontaine’s favourite cafés, and he carefully unwraps it before raising it to your mouth.

“Wriothesley… this is a little embarrassing,” you whisper, wrapping your arms around yourself.

He doesn’t say anything, just persistently stares at you, gaze intense enough for you to give in. As you lean in to take the first bite, you are bashfully looking away from your lover, who wears a pleased expression, satisfied with the fact that you’re letting him take care of you. 

The tension from last night’s dispute hasn’t completely melted away, there are still things that need to be discussed calmly, but as you keep trying to push his hand away and battle Wriothesley’s indestructible stubbornness, he knows it will work out in the end. You love him and he loves you, and if you ever forget to visit him during lunch break again, then he’ll have to tear himself away from the prison and come up, just to meet you.

© EARTHTOOZ 2023, do not steal, translate, repost my fics and do not recommend my fics onto any other site.

His Heartbeat

~ warnings: mostly fluff, a bit suggestive, mostly making out, pre-fontaine wriothesley, gn! reader

~ a/n: just a little drabble because I just really wanted to write about cuddling with Wriothesley. Ugh he'd be the best cuddler ! I want him to cuddle me🥺❤️ tagging @princesschimchim1325 since she loves him too and she helps me with headcanons🥰🐺❤️

Laying your head on his chest, listening to his calming heartbeat.

During these intimate moments, you two would sometimes talk about your day or random things, but most of the time, just laying together while cuddling in silence is perfect enough.

But when he does talk, hearing the vibrations from his gentle voice through his chest is like music to your ears, especially when he chuckles from a little joke or tease that one of you said.

Sometimes, you would draw invisible shapes into his chest with your fingers or trace his scars. Your fingers slowly running over his scars, sometimes using your nails gently as you go up his arm, the action sending tinkles over his body. Your soft, gentle touch soothing him, making him sleepy.

The times when he would fall asleep first, you would admire his adorable sleeping face trying to restrain yourself from moving to touch his face, not wanting to wake him up. But the times you can't hold yourself back, you would slowly move your hand to his face, faintly tracing his features. His defined jaw, cheekbones, the scar under his eye, and the scars on his neck. He pretends to be asleep and allows you to continue your actions but sometimes, your attention makes him a bit overcome with emotion, making his heart race a little bit faster and become filled with happiness and love for you.

He would open his eyes, meeting your gaze and his breath would get caught in his throat as he saw the expression on your face. The expression gracing your beautiful features was one filled with love, admiration, adoration, desire, fondness, and gentleness.

The connection and intimacy between you two was strong. So strong that most times, neither of you needed to speak any words to express your feelings for one another.

While studying your face, one of his hands moved to tuck your hair behind you ear then moved to gently cradle your cheek. His thumb slowly rubbed your cheek as he searched your eyes. You understood the message his gaze was sending to you. You both leaned your heads closer to one another, meeting for a simple kiss. You both pull away but not too far apart as you stare at one another, flicking between each other's eyes and lips. You meet once again for another kiss, yet this one longer, filled with passion and electricity. It then grew into more kisses, all of them slow and deep as your lips perfectly matched each others pace, as if they were meant for one another.

The position you were in was starting to become a bit uncomfortable and Wriothesley could tell. He moved the two of you into a more comfortable position where you were both on your side. He kept an arm around your waist in order to keep you close while his other hand continued to cradle your cheek. Your hands began on his chest, slowly moving up his body to his neck then to cup his face, then going back down to his chest again.

His hand on your cheek moved to tangle in your hair, pulling your face closer as your tongues danced with one another.

These kisses weren't filled with lust in order to develop into something deeper. Their purpose was to express your love for one another. To say what words could never explain about your feelings.

You both lost track of how long you two went on. Eventually, you both finally pulled away from each other, breathing rapidly, gasping for air. Not wanting things to escalate further, you returned to your original position. Wriothesley on his back with your head on his chest, listening to his racing heartbeat.

With one arm wrapped around your waist, he uses the other to slowly rub it up and down your back.

Both of you finally calming down from your make out session.

His heartbeat returning to a steady pace, being so soothing, causing you to slowly drift to sleep.

⛓️ Wriothesley x Reader ⛓️ Eye of the Beholder

In Fontaine’s rugged, unforgiving depths, there is no beauty to be seen by the sane traveler, unless one finds themselves with a curious fascination for filth. The ambience was dark and dreary, with only the most rusted of browns and aged of grays visible to the naked eye. Disgusting, it was, compared to the well-developed aquatic and surface regions of Fontaine and even the rest of Teyvat.

As a warden of Fontaine’s unforgiving dungeons, Wriothesley had no reason to see any sort of beauty in his surroundings. It mattered not if the convict was dressed in the finest reds or the most lowly of rags; if he caught them acting out of line or they somehow managed to slip under the noses of the wardens, he would not hesitate to hunt down the prisoners and bare his fangs. Little bark, all bite, he was known for.

On the rare chances that he did have an opportunity to rise to the surface, his poor eyesight did become somewhat of a hinderance. Under the cover of darkness, everything was in at least twenty different shades of gray. The real world as he knew it was merely blue, golden, and gray.

Through his eyes, the world was merely comprised of shades of those three colors. The rainbow of corals filling the sea and the colorful fish swimming alongside aquatic travelers were sights that Wriothesley was cursed to never behold himself. He had grown used to it, walking along the dungeons and all, but a deep part of him yearned to see the world in its full vibrance.

As you looked down from the water’s edge and found yourself engrossed in the diversity of Fontaine’s nature, Wriothesley would not share that same enthusiasm as you did. Perhaps it was due to his lack of occupancies outside of wrangling prisoners that he found no value in frivolous nature watching. You had faith, however, that if he could actually see what you were experiencing for himself, then he too, would be engrossed by the beauty of Fontaine’s upper-class regions.

He stood by a post out of habit, scanning the area around him while trying to keep his focus on your whereabouts. It was a warden’s habit to remain wary, as it was something that cannot be helped. He wasn’t too eager to hit every sightseeing location in the vicinity, but the fresh air at the very least would do his health some good. Wriothesley rarely had a chance for personal recreation, but when given the chance, he did not hesitate to accompany you on the surface for the time that he was allotted.  

Raising an eyebrow, Wriothesley asked you, “What could you possibly find so intriguing about Fontaine’s waters?”

“You just need to take a moment to have a close look for yourself. From floor to surface, its bursting with colorful life,” you said.

Wriothesley shook his head, disinterested in your frivolous observations. The world above Fontaine’s dungeons was just as dull and colorless as the one below him, and so he showed minimal interest in observing the varieties of gold and gray, something he was far too used to seeing in the underground. Silently, he rejected your invitation to observe the waters, and continued resting his body by the post where his gaze remained sharp.

How do you get someone who cannot see the full rainbow to experience life’s vividness through your eyes? Red was but a concept to him, as he was even blind to the intimidating aura of his maroon clothing. Luscious flora was not an attention grabber, with nature’s blessing of the color green being nothing more than a shade of gold to Wriothesley’s wolf-like eyes. The violet corals accenting the forests of pink and orange…to him, they all felt merely the same.

If the physical appearance of color mattered not, then you would have to resort to other methods of conveying the beauty of the world that you saw. You grabbed his arm and tugged him away from the post, dragging him to overlook the waters below. A tall, dancing bush of seagrass waved happily in the gentle current, which you had pointed out to Wriothesley.

“Look at that. What color do you see that as, exactly?”

“…Golden, diluted by a crisp ocean blue. Why do you ask?”

You shook your head, though you knew that he was answering with complete honesty and precisely what he saw from his view.

“Feels like it blends in with the rest of the world, if I’m not mistaken?” you asked.

Wriothesley nodded his head.

“Now…define it not as the golden brown you perceive it as, but more of like…as if the seagrass was brimming with the energy of mother nature herself. It radiates serenity…tranquility…an ornament to emphasize the liveliness that is Fontaine’s ecosystem. This seagrass is but a small example of what the force of life in Teyvat’s has to offer…what we are blessed to call ‘being alive.’ Serenity…peace…the sea itself, all hidden beneath the human nature of envy and illness that is part of this inevitable cycle.

He tilted his head curiously.

“Through my eyes, I simply see it as the color green. To you, however, it exists not as a sight to behold, but as a concept with meaning that the average eye could simply not do justice with sight alone.  

You pointed to a batch of branching corals not too far from the seagrass that you had observed.

“These corals,” you said. “how do they appear to you?”

“Darker than the seagrass, though still a shade golden yellow,” he stated.

“Hmmm…these corals are, in fact, quite energetic compared to their seagrass companions. They are bursting with vibrance, capturing your attention and filling you with joy as you gaze upon their tree-like structure. It’s a sense of happiness that cannot be put into words, yet it brightens you day like a warm sun during early autumn…”

Wriothesley focused on these corals as you explained how they felt, though he could feel his attention drifting from the meaning of the words to the mere sound of your voice.

“That is what I call orange. To you, it is the idea of happiness, bustling with joy and energy. Take pride in being able to embrace its luxury, for we do not appreciate its brightness until it has departed our lives.

Wriothesley seemed more attentive than before, as perhaps you had opened his eyes to the feeling of color, rather than thinking of it as something to merely see. He was scanning the water itself, both surface and floor, attempting to visualize the shades of gold that he sees as the feelings that you had described. After a few moments of observation, he pointed to a rounded coral, distinct from the branches you have described prior.

“Those?” you asked.

He nodded gently. “The rounded, lighter blue ones amongst the branched varieties…”

“The rounded corals serve as a metaphor for our imaginations. Their curious existence invokes a sense of mystery and discovery in the ones who have the honor of spotting these rarities. Nobles of both past and present would adorn themselves with these gems, limited only by their imagination; something that the lower class may not have the honor of witnessing in their lifetime. The diamonds in the rough you see here, are what I know as the color purple.”

Wriothesley had become so invested in your beautiful words, that he had lost his concentration on the truly vibrant world that his eyes were blind to. He looked down at himself, perhaps out of shame for his self-perceived dullness, then gazed out at the sea full of energetic corals and peaceful seagrass that stretched as far as the waters would allow. Nothing more than shades of gray and burnt yellow, he was doomed to see himself as.

But Wriothesley was far from what he viewed himself as. His own unique vibrance told a story in itself. It told how he had experienced years of bloodshed from such a rough occupation, how he showed passion to what was important to him, and how he had the strength to carry on despite the injuries that threatened to take his life on numerous occasions.

The dark red suit told a story in its own. Wriothesley was a tough man, but he was also full of care and compassion. By showing no mercy to those who broke the nation’s laws, he assured that the citizens of Fontaine could roam the streets freely and safely.

Wriothesley’s suit was the color of the feelings that you two had for each other.

Not to mention, the color of his face when you explained the meaning behind the red he was adorned with.

—THE COLOR OF YOU [ wriothesley x reader ]

“your cheeks are pretty when they're blue.”

wriothesley x gn!reader | wc: 953

contents: just a cute little wriothesley drabble 😽, established relationship, completely based on the idea that wriothesley is colorblind and can’t tell the difference between red and blue, not proofread at all i’m not entirely sure what possessed me to write about him but it was deep and carnal

You think that there’s nothing more hilarious than Wriothesley trying to figure out colors.

“(Y/n),” his frustration comes out restrained, a ghost of pout playing on his lips, “It’s not funny.”

You hug your pillow, a mischievous grin playing on your face as he stares a the two ties that lie on his bed. His pout grows deeper, his nose twitching as his eyes peruse the individual fabrics, tapping his foot impatiently.

See, a long time ago, Wriothesley decided to spice up his attire for his new job; he wanted to match his Cryo Vision so he picked out beautiful black clothes with stunning blue highlights to make his Vision pop. It turns out that his Vision did pop, but for the completely wrong reasons— and all it took was a guard saying “I love the red!” for him to realize that he had been horribly, horribly wrong. He bought an actual blue tie in a panic before he realized that he didn’t have enough money for a whole new color scheme, and he gave up on that idea. He kept the tie for safekeeping, but he never expected you to use it against him, lying it next to the red one he normally wears on a peaceful morning that he feels like he shouldn’t have been punished for. He knows that one shade is darker than the other, he just can't remember which one.

“I have to go to work soon!” He looks at you with pleading eyes, “Babe, please.”

“You don’t have to go to work,” you pat the side of the bed next to you, a simple smile on your face, “You could just skip.”

Here, Wriothesley is faced with a terrible, terrible choice. On one hand, his gorgeous partner is lying ever so beautifully on his bed wearing his shirt— what little motivation he had to go to work when he woke up in your arms is dashed. On the other, he really should go to work today, it really shouldn't be this easy for his resolve to break when his passion for his work easily trumps almost anything else.

“Five minutes.” He compromises, “Five minutes and you tell me which tie is which.”

“Awful offer, try 15 minutes and we'll see what I say.”

15 minutes would make him far too late.

“Is it this one?” He grabs one, holding it up to your face. Your smile doesn't change, and he picks up the other one, pointing to it with a raised eyebrow and a worried expression.

“You're an awful negotiator, Wrio.” You tease, and he sighs, letting them both drop.

“No minutes and I'll take you out for dinner tonight.” He bargains— you think it’s positively adorable that he thinks he’ll get to go with just dinner.

“Dinner and we get to dance with Icewind Suite at the Court.”

“Dinner and Lyney’s magic show in three days.”

You grin triumphantly.

“Deal.” You bound out of the bed, happily taking your place next to him, grabbing one of the ties before hanging the other one up.

He can't even be mad at you when you coil the tie over his neck, flipping one end over the other and looping it through, tightening it ever so slightly. The sunlight peeks through your red curtains, and his eyes shift outside as a reminder to start the new day. He has a job to do, after all, an important one, one that he can't skip despite how much he might want to.

You take this as an opportunity to kiss him, ambushing his lips with yours as he lets out a muffled squeak in surprise. Your tongue brushes against his and he tilts his head, tangling your hair into his fingers as he cradles your jaw.

You really love kissing Wriothesley like this, you love how it always sends shivers down your spine seeing the man who’s normally so stoic be caught off-guard, and you love the feeling of him melting into your lips.

“Looks like I got you to stay the extra five minutes after all.” You smile cheekily between soft pecks, leading him against the wall of your bedroom, he stumbles, his hand catching his body on the windowsill.

“I really should go.” He murmurs, pressing a chaste kiss to your lips again. You pepper his face with kisses and despite his gentle protests, he doesn’t move—he kisses you like guarding the prison isn’t his job, being devoted to you is— like he would love nothing more than to capture your lips with his forever.

You love watching him lose his damn mind over you.

“Okay— okay— enough, you devil,” he hisses, his eyes glazed and warm skin, he places kisses on your feverish skin, “Your cheeks are pretty when they’re blue.”

You look like you match his Cryo Vision, and he thinks that he’d like to wear you to work someday. He likes the contradiction in the way you look, you bear the color that's known for its icy and unforgiving cold, yet you're warm to the touch, your soft breaths echoing on his wrists, the tension making it far too hard for him to breathe.

“They match my lips?” You step away, adjusting his tie. You wonder what he’d look like if you had his vision, and when you replace his red blush with blue, you can say with absolute certainty that he’d look more gorgeous than you could bear.

“They do.” He confirms your notions with one last kiss on top of your head.

He takes one last look in the mirror, fixing his tousled hair with a huff before his hand reaches towards the doorknob that leads to your living room.

“Oh, and Wrio!” You call out his name innocently, and he turns around, “Both of the ties were red, I hid the blue one under the bed. Sorry about that.”

a/n: first time out of the alhaitham tag mom pick me up i'm scared

im actually devastated i have to skip him and neuvillette for navia. the things i do for the people i love :(

Protective Warden

~warnings: x wriothesley, unwanted touching by stranger (grabbed on arm), otherwise just fluff.

~a/n: thank you @harlekin6 for the idea🥰 i hope this satisfies your request❤️

You step off of the elevator, relieved to finally be off of it. Even though you've taken it for the past three years, it still gets tiring from the long ride. You check in at the entrance of the Meropide Fortress. It's a quick check in as usual due to you being known around here by the employees. You were known as the Duke's wife. You were a cute, bubbly, talkative, and outgoing person. The complete opposite of your husband. The workers sometimes wonder to themselves how you two ended up together. You didn't mind their questions, laughing them off because to you, you knew who your husband was. Only you saw his softer and teasing side, the part of him you fell in love with.

You planned to surprise your husband with his favorite lunch today, wanting to spend time with him due to his work schedule keeping him busy. He would usually return late at night after you've fallen asleep and leave early in the morning before you woke up, giving you two no time to spend together. While walking to his office, you greet the usual employees and notice Sigewinnie down the hall. Her eyes shine as she sees you, happy to see you again. After a little small talk, you ask her the whereabouts of your husband. She tells you that he was currently in a meeting, busy interrogating new prisoners. You planned to wait for him in his office, but Sigewinnie excitedly asked if she could show you some new stickers she recently made. How could you say no to that face.

You follow her to her little infirmary. She excitedly shows you all of her new stickers while you give her your full attention, happy to see her like this. You enjoyed spending time with Sigewinne as did she. She was like a daughter to you. She saw you and Wriothesley like parents to her. After a while of listening to Sigewinnie talk about puffy stickers, you both were suddenly interrupted by a rookie guard entering the infirmary.

"Miss Sigewinnie, I have a prisoner who is feeling unwell. Could you take a look at him?"

"Of course! You can bring him in." She said, getting her medical instruments ready. A tall man enters the room. He didn't look scary or dangerous so you thought nothing of it. Sigewinnie tells him to sit on the infirmary bed so she can check him out. You notice while he walks over to the bed, he keeps looking at you. You pay it no mind. It takes a few minutes for Sigewinnie to figure out what was wrong and she goes into an adjacent room to make some medicine for the inmate. The whole time, the inmate keeps watching you which begins to make you a bit uncomfortable. He begins talking to you, giving you compliments on how beautiful you looked. You were polite and thanked him but continued to be uncomfortable. You hoped the visit would be over soon so he could leave. Suddenly, he gets up from the bed and walks over to where you were sitting, deciding to sit in the chair next to you. He was a bit too close causing you to scoot away from him. You ask him politely to leave you alone, not wanting to piss him off by being rude, but he ignored your request and continued bothering you. He began to say more inappropriate things to you while eyeing you up and down. You had enough and got up from your seat, planning to talk to the guard waiting outside the room. But before you could leave, the inmate grabs your arm harshly.

"Where do you think you're going. It's rude to ignore someone where they're talking to you. It's not everyday I get to see a beautiful chick like you."

You try to break your arm free, sternly telling him to let you go. He laughs and doesn't let up his grip. You begin to push him away causing him to get mad. He pulls you towards him, his grip tightening causing you pain. You yelp. Suddenly, theres a loud crash as the infirmary door is slammed open. You both look over to the doorway and see your husband. He notices the inmate's hand on you and quickly moves over to him. Wrio roughly grabs the man's shirt, moving him away from you and getting the man to remove his grip on you. He slams him against the wall. Anger is evident on your husband's face while he silently glares at the prisoner. The room begins to get a bit chilly due to your husband's vision.

"Why are you putting your hands on my wife." Wrio coldly asks.

"Wrio." You put your hand on his back and gently call his name, wanting to stop him before he beats the prisoner to a pulp. He relaxes a little. He calls the rookie guard in and orders him to take the prisoner into solitary confinement.

"Y-yes sir!" the guard nervously says before he quickly takes the prisoner away. Once they're gone, Wrio turns to you with a soft look.

"Are you okay?" he asks as he walks closer to you. You gently smile at him and nod your head. He looks down at your arm, noticing a red mark forming where the prisoner grabbed you. His anger flares again but he stops himself, focusing his attention on you. He pulls you into a hug, wrapping his arm tightly around you while he strokes your hair.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect you. What are you doing here anyways? I didn't know you were going to visit."

"I wanted to surprise you with lunch and spend time with you. It's been a few days since we've spent time together and I missed you." You tell him as you nuzzle into his chest. He chuckles from your cuteness of being honest with your feelings.

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to spend time with you lately. I promise I'll make it up to you by spending the whole day with you on my next day off."

"Deal." You giggle.

"Come on. Let's go eat." While you two walk to his office, he has your fingers intertwined, walking close to you to make sure you are protected. You arrive to his office. He sits in his chair while you go get another chair to put beside him.

"What are you doing?" He asks.

"I'm looking for a chair."

"Don't need one. Come here." He pats his lap. You blush, walking over to him. Even though you've sat in his lap many times before, you still get a bit bashful.

"But you can't eat if I'm in your lap Wrio." Without another word, he pulls you onto his lap, wrapping his arms around you so you can't escape. He nuzzles his face into your neck, leaving a quick kiss on it, making you squirm.

"Wrio." You shyly say. He chuckles at your cuteness.

"What did you bring me for lunch?" He asks, changing the subject.

"Your favorite. Steak with a side of vegetables and mashed potatoes." You say as you take everything out.

"Smells good. I bet it takes great. I always enjoy your cooking."

"Yeah, I don't explode the kitchen when cooking." You tease.

"Hey, that just means it's going to taste great."

You laugh. "I will give you that. Your food does come out tasting yummy even thought you ruin the kitchen. But I suppose it's worth it." You cut the steak, taking a piece on the fork and holding it out for him. "Here. Say ahh." You tease.

He sighs. "I'm not gonna say ahh but I'll still take a bite." He eats the piece of steak. "Delicious." You feed him the rest of his meal, taking some bites for yourself here and there. Once you two finish, he kisses you and thanks you for lunch. Even when his work schedule gets in the way of your time together, special moments like these make up for it.

—PORTRAITS | WRIOTHESLEY

so, it turns out wriothesley has a thing for painters (he just has a thing for you). cw. f!reader, reader hails from liyue, just fluff

wriothesley really is content with his life. he's happy with his job, he's fortunate to own a small area away from the prison to relax whenever he needs to, and he's perfectly satisfied without a partner. no, he’s not brimming with that bursting vitality that once proved him to be incredibly youthful and he’s not as boisterous as he used to be, but he’s certainly not old either. he knows he's aging; he has to pluck a stray gray hair from his black locks every once in a while and he has to work out a little bit harder, but he honestly couldn't care less about it. it’s something everyone and everything goes through, so why should he be racing against the clock of time?

that is, until his guards start gossiping.

he's not sure when exactly the mood of the prison started shifting, but at some point along the way, guards started getting bolder with their statements about him, and “archons, the duke is so responsible!” started to turn into “isn't the duke a little too old to be without a partner?”, and it turns out that he actually doesn’t do that well under scrutiny because he finds himself wondering the same thing.

the melusines tell him that he needs to get his portrait taken—since he lives in the fortress, there aren’t many families that are willing to marry their daughters to a man who has never made any public appearances. although he's not completely sure if he wants to follow the courting rules of royal families in fontaine, surely the melusines know more about casual dating than he does. first impressions are extremely important when it comes to proper courting of course, and he needs to look his best for a future prospect after all (with his face, the melusines agree that he should have no trouble finding one).

so here he is, waiting patiently for the agreed painter to find their way down the fortress; he’s nervous to meet you, how could he not be? every person who steps foot into the prison comes from a different background with contrasting experiences that led them to where they are now, and yet, most regret coming down whether they're a prisoner or not—how would a famous painter hailing from liyue think of him? he doesn't know much about liyue (hell, he doesn't even remember much of what fontaine is like), only that its culture is far different from the little he does know. he doesn't want to be a bad host (it's been a while since he's even hosted somebody anyways), but he understands that the cold steel walls that surround the prison make it hard for someone to feel welcome, especially in comparison with liyue's vast mountains and open air.

and then he sees you.

the elevator couldn’t possibly trap your beauty from behind its rusted metal and corroded screws but then the doors open and you turn around and, oh, you’re quite spectacular, aren’t you?

you have your paint set in one hand and a backpack that he assumes holds your canvas slung over one shoulder, your eyes wide and your mouth agape as you step down the stairs, taking in the blue sea and steel walls surrounding you. your outfit matches you and your hair frames your face ever so effortlessly—he wonders if all people from liyue are as eye-catching as you are. you walk down the stairs like you're a god itself, coming down to greet the mortals that you rule.

then, you do something unexpected.

his skin feels aflame when you tiptoe and your head nears his. you kiss the air right next to his ears; one, two, and fuck, you might as well be kissing his skin directly by how your warm breath fan at his cheeks.

"'m sorry," you smile sheepishly when you pull away, "i heard that was a customary thing in fontaine?"

you're flirting with him.

wriothesley can see through people an instant, he is a warden afterall, and your face was far too close to his for far too long, not to mention the confident smile you don as you stare up at him, your hand on your hip as you smirk.

how dare some painter have the gall to flirt with a man who's hired her to paint his future wedding picture? and how is he infinitely more attracted to you because of it?

he can hear his guards whisper gossip from the entrance and he feels his face getting redder, bowing his head down to hide his embarrassment before he leads you to the scenic room where you're to paint him.

the painting goes fine, he thinks.

he can't stop looking at you, not with the way your lashes flutter when you so much as blink, not with the way you curve your lips when you make small talk, not with the way your wrist flicks ever so gracefully when your brush moves against the canvas, painting out the freckles that dot the skin under his eyes.

you talk about your rise to fame in liyue, he talks about his infamy in fontaine. "there's no way they hate you," you snort, "i mean, look at you!" he thinks your eyes flicker up to his more often than you need to—that your eyes travel up and down the veins on his arms and linger at the tie hangs loosely at his chest, but he's not complaining.

you finish a few hours later, and unfortunately, he's just not satisfied when the painting.

"...can you redo it?" he feels bad when your face falls in disappointment (somehow, even your disappointed face is attractive), "it's the scenery! i just don't think...the sea is flattering on me?"

it's a shit excuse, he knows that he's surrounded by the sea at all times, but he's not in the right headspace to think of something smarter.

"oh! alright," the smile on your face returns, "where would you want it?"

anywhere with you.

"maybe above ground? there's a beautiful café up there that we could visit, and i'll pay you again, of course."

"...right." you nod, the cogs in your head turning (is he really—?), "...and i'm sure you will be paying for the food?"

"i am a gentleman."

how dare some warden have the gall to flirt with a woman whom he's hired to paint his future wedding picture? and how are you infinitely more attracted to him because of it?

"it's a date, then," your smile grows wider, and his heartbeat grows faster when you reach your hand out to him, "i imagine i'll see you soon, then?"

he can't help but linger his lips on your skin when he kisses your hand. he's a noble man to his core, but who is he to refuse when your eyes grin at him so enticingly?

he wonders if you can feel the pulse that threatens to escape his heart, the fire that burns in his chest at the thought of seeing you again. he can hardly wait.

"soon, m'lady. very soon."

something tells you that if everything works the way you hope it will, wriothesley won't need another painting again.

genshin knew what they were doing when they made wriothesley 'cause what the fuck.

wriothesley is observant.

some may attribute his attentiveness to the nature of his job, having to keep an eye on the antics of the prisoners to maintain the fortress’ order.

but if you ask him, he’ll only dismiss it as a habit, a necessity, something he barely thinks about but always finds himself doing anyway. whether it’s remembering the name of a prisoner’s daughter, or avoiding that one squeaky floorboard in the hallway outside the infirmary, he pays no mind to the how behind his knowledge, but rather the consequences of them.

perhaps it really is a habit from his job. but what he doesn’t acknowledge is that he only pays attention when he cares. he had personally escorted the prisoner in question to the fortress, his daughter too young to understand why her father is going away for a long time. despite the complete lack of sympathy towards the prisoner - he did that to himself, really, wriothesley feels a duty to ensure the small child still holds a fond image of her father, being escorted away by two nicely dressed men rather than by a horde of mechanical gardes. he cares for the child, her name a reminder to uphold the law and justice he swore his life to.

he remembers the creaky floorboard not to avoid the unpleasant sound, but rather because sigewinne once mentioned that the high pitched squeal of metal scratching against metal was especially harsh on her ears. he can’t say to the other people entering and leaving the infirmary, but for as long as the maintenance request paper remains buried under the mountain of other things needing fixing, he will make sure to avoid stepping on it, even if he is only one of a hundred people passing the infirmary that day.

and to you, oh how he cares for you.

he remembers the exact shade of your eyes when you met him by the fountain of luciene, specks of gold highlighting your pupils in the bright sunlight. he remembers the scent of your hair when he pulls you into an embrace for the first time, not quite flowery but so sweet that he can smell it in his dreams. he remembers the ring you wore on your left index finger when he held your hand, a thin silver band with a small moon-shaped crystal, gleaming under the sunlight that once illuminated every colour in your eyes.

you prefer the petits pains au chocolat over the mille feuilles because you love the slight bitterness of the dark chocolate on your tongue. your favourite beverage from café lucèrne is a latte with extra foam, and more than once he has kissed away the bubbles that cling to your lips after that first delightful sip. you dislike foods of different flavours touching each other in your plate, absolutely despise touching door handles and elevator buttons, and are especially fond of the colour sarcoline.

he savours the taste of your lips, between his own and tasting like honey; the feel of your hair sliding through his fingertips, silky and soft like the clearest spring water. he memorizes the shape of your skin against his palms, every little breath and hum, the contour of your body fitting so perfectly with his own.

he pays no extra attention to the whys, but somehow always ends up knowing exactly what you want without ever having to ask you. when he finally returns to the surface after days spent underwater, he always makes sure to grab some freshly baked pains au chocolat from the bakery, the butter seeping through and leaving oil blots on the brown paper bags. the new ribbon he buys for your hair is a soft ivory yellow, almost colour matched from the walls of your home and the fabric of your favourite dress.

and when he sees your smile that can brighten the entire underwater fortress and chase away the storm clouds, he knows he would spend a thousand lifetimes by your side until he memorizes each and every part of you.

© cypressus-lunis 2023, do not copy, steal, repost, or translate.

Stiff Joints - Wriothesley x gn! Reader

Summary -> Some mornings are harder than others. (Established relationship)

Warnings -> Slightly suggestive towards the end

A/N -> 850 words, not proofread and self indulgent because I am also having a bad hand day.

**********

Early. Too goddam early to be awake. The sun wouldn’t even be fluttering in the curtains if you could see the damn sun from the bottom of the ocean. The bed around you was too cold, too uncomfortable, too… empty.

“Wrio?” You muttered, sitting up despite the protest of your back. Your boyfriend was nowhere to be found. Your eyes scanned the dark room until you saw the light underneath the bathroom door. “Wriothesley?” You ask again as you slip out of bed, the metal floor of the Fortress of Meropide cold underneath your feet. You approached the bathroom door only to hear the clattering of something in the sink, followed by the frustrated growl of the man behind the door. “I’m coming in.” You don’t give him a chance to protest as you open the door, only to be greeted by the sight of the man hunched over the sink, wearing only a black t shirt, boxers, and a face full of shaving cream.

“I’m sorry if I woke you up, sweetheart.” He grumbled, not wanting to take his frustrations out on you as he reached for the razor in the sink. 

You stepped close, placing a hand on his back. “Don’t apologize. Are you okay? What’s wrong?” He clawed at the shaving cream on his face, wiping it off, frustrated. “It’s nothing” “Wriothesley.” “It’s nothing.” “Wriothesley” “I said-” He turned to look at you, seeing that worried, and tired look on your face. All the negative emotions dissipate immediately. “You want the truth?”

“I’d greatly prefer it, yeah.” He put the razor down on the edge of the sink. “I’ve been fighting my entire life. Boxing with both gloves and bare knuckles.” “I’ve known this, and yet I still sleep in your bed every night. Is this you thinking you’re too dangerous for me again? We’ve been through this. You know I’ll always love you.” You point out, too early to have your normal patience you grant him, instead offering him rather blunt compassion.

Wriothesley sighed, looking into the mirror. “I’ve all but destroyed my hands. It’s why I wear wraps every day. They hurt, my fingers don’t move right, and some mornings I can’t even grip the damn razor and get this stubble off of my face.”

“Is that it?” “Seems a bit dismissive.” He sighs and looks over at you, hurt in his eyes.

You hesitate, noticing he is in a much more vulnerable position than you’re used to seeing him. “I don’t mean that in a dismissive way, my dear. I just mean it’s something I can help with.” He clenches his still foam shaven jaw. “What could you possibly do to help my broken hands?” “Be your hands for you.” You respond, gently taking the razor from his hand, thankful he didn't make a snarky comment at the cheesy words. You hop up on the bathroom counter, grabbing a washcloth and running it under warm water. 

“My dear you don’t have to.” He responds, swallowing the lump in his throat, trying to hold back his emotions. 

You respond by placing a hand on the back of his neck, guiding him to lean forward, his towering frame shrinking down to reach your waiting hand, the razor running gently across his jaw, taking care of the stubble he found so annoying. “I know I don’t have to. I want to.” You guide his face to look to one side, shaving one side of his jaw and down his neck, his icy eyes locked on yours, an unreadable expression on his face. 

“Thank you.” He whispered, swallowing the lump in his throat. “Thank you so much.” “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” You ask as you run the warm washcloth on his freshly shaven jaw. 

He scoffs and doesn’t resist looking the other direction, letting you shave the other side of his face. “What? That my fingers don’t work?” “I mean they were working just fine last night.” You watch as he bites back a smirk, but he couldn't resist it for too long. “There’s that handsome smile.” “You’re the worst, you know… I have a reputation you know.” His eyes soften impossibly further as you finish shaving his jaw and his neck for him. He doesn't hesitate to rest his forehead on yours. “I didn’t want to worry you.” He says softly, answering your question.

“What a silly thing to hide from me you stupid man.” You chuckle and place a kiss on his lips. “What helps your hands the most, hm?”

His lips chase after yours before he lets out a huff. “Heat. Ironic giving the cryo vision.” “Mmm what kind of heat?” You ask with a low voice, your lips still hovering near his, him taking a deep breath between his teeth. 

“That kind works perfectly” He bent down and captured your lips again, his arms wrapping around your waist, he went to pull you off the counter, but stopped when you broke the kiss, placing your hand on his chest.

“Absolutely not. Your hands hurt. Let me take care of you this morning.” You chuckle and hop off the counter, grabbing the collar of his shirt, tugging him out of the bathroom and towards the bed, and of course, he follows without hesitation.

“Of course~”

**********

how would you write wriothesley needing reassurance?

x : TO LOVE A GOOD THING :*+ﾟ

in which: wriothesley thinks he loves you more than you love him.

warnings: 1.4k words, reverse hurt/comfort with angst, wrio being insecure sorry, gn!hot-headed!reader, reader gets into a fight, wrio patches you up.

a/n: thank u @sixosix for helping me out during my my hard times. this fic was already half written before I got this ask but then it was like the stars aligned and anon came to save a fic that might have never made it out of the drafts. anyways, idk if the writing is good, but i came, i saw, i conquered. enjoy!

Wriothesley thinks he loves you more than you love him.

If he voiced these thoughts to you, you’d shut him down without another breath. He can almost picture it now, the way your nose would scrunch as a precursor to all the statements you will make rejecting his. He can hear all the things you’d say, insisting ‘that’s just not true!’, and then he’ll laugh to cover up the way his chest will swell with pure adoration. 

But it is true. 

Loving you is easier than breathing. The heart that sits in his chest beats harder for you than the circulation of oxygen in his lungs, but he breathes because it keeps him alive. If he’s alive, then he gets to see you, the best thing that’s happened to him his entire, unfortunate life. 

He thinks he loves you more than you love him because you once told him your favourite flowers were glaze lilies. However, when you complained that they only bloomed during the night, Wriothesley knew that he would wrestle the sun just so the moon could shine a little longer. 

He thinks he loves you more than you love him because you linger in the crevices of his mind. Down in the Fortress of Meropide, the days may pass excruciatingly slow sometimes and the only cure for him is yearning for the one he loves most. Perhaps if he wishes hard enough, you’ll burst through those doors with a declaration of a new discovery and sit on his desk, avoiding the paperwork. 

Most times, his wishful thinking doesn’t work out. On the rare occasion it does, Wriothesley will be fortunate enough to end the work day with your palms on his cheeks, gently motivating him to finish what’s left. 

You’ll peel stickers off his body, ignorant of the fact that he saves them up just for an excuse to feel your hands on him, then he’ll kiss you in thanks, eyes fluttering closed. Near you, he can finally let his guard down, let the gauntlets and coat fall as he sinks into you. 

Wriothesley already feels bad whenever you come down to a place so unforgiving and confronting. He tries to brighten up the place sometimes, but metal can only shine so much before it rusts again. 

Is it pathetic to want to better yourself for another person? Or is it love?

Wriothesley thinks he loves you more than you love him, and he’s perfectly fine to continue living with that fact. As long as he’s the one you return to every night, he’ll be fine to live with whatever burdens you press onto him.

He just didn’t expect that one of said ‘burdens’ would result with you, Sigewinne’s infirmary, and your face littered with cuts and bruises. 

“You should have seen the other guy,” is your poor attempt at humour as your lover frets everywhere, pacing back and forth as the small nurse tends to you. His heavy boots resounding against metal floors.

“Seriously, Y/n, what were you thinking?” The warden clearly isn’t amused by your joke, the only thing keeping him back from completely lecturing you is Sigewinne and that stun gun of hers. 

A small yelp slips past your lips when she applies some balm on your sore knuckles and Wriothesley winces, as if feeling your pain. “They were talking bad about you, Wriothesley, what did you want me to do?”

“Nothing!”

Sigewinne gives him a look. He immediately shuts his mouth. “I can’t do that,” you insist.

“You can, and you should’ve. I can defend my own honour. Besides, you didn’t need to lower yourself to the level of crooks just to prove a point.”

“But-”

“-The guys you beat up were just admitted here. Normally after receiving a life’s sentence, the first name that’s slandered is mine as an outlet for anger. This is normal, Y/n, they’ll continue on to realise that the Fortress of Meropide is not their standard prison and reform. You, however, might have just set back their progress.”

Your head drops, a little in shame, but mostly because you don’t have anything to say in retaliation. Silence envelops the dim space, none of you brave enough to break the tension that came from Wriothesley’s scolding. With a few final words from Sigewinne about what medicine to apply, when, and what not to do, she leaves the room quite hurriedly, as if eager to let you and Wriothesley talk about it alone.

Immediately, he crosses the room to where you sit, closing in on your personal space. 

“The things they were saying about you were unforgivable. Meropide’s great duke may forgive, but I won’t.” 

“Nothing is as unforgivable as you getting hurt.” Care laces his voice this time when he talks to you. 

“You won’t throw me in prison for this, right?” You ask with a bashful smile, one that sends him reeling.

“Not prison, no,” he coughs. “However, I can’t not reprimand you.”

“Fine. I guess this just means that I love you more.”

He knows you’re kidding, that you’re only trying to make him feel better because the grin on your face is nothing short of mischievous. Part of him falters, cracks like an earthquake splitting the land apart and pulling him under. To stabilise himself, his rough palms find purchase on both sides of your jaw and his forehead is pressed flushed to yours.

(You don’t love him more, how can you love someone as ragged as him?)

“Impossible,” he murmurs against your mouth. 

“Really, let these bruises be a reminder,” you chuckle. His thumb ghosts over a bruise on your cheek and his heart aches at the way you wince, even if just slightly. If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t be here, sat on a hospital bed with wounds he inadvertently caused.

You wouldn’t be here, in a dingy, dreary Fortress that you’re only obligated to visit because of him.

(Oh, but he hopes you never leave. The day you go and never come back is the day Wriothesley will turn all of Teyvat upside down just to search for you. Where is his place if not by your side?)

There’s a warm poke to his cheek that’s quickly followed by a damp residual. Wriothesley quickly realises that you wiped a tear away, and he curses the following few that spill. You shouldn’t waste your efforts on him: a man half-coherent, and wholly undeserving of you.

“Love, oh, love,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to the bruised area. “Why did you do this?” 

“I already told you,” you hum. “Because I love you.”

“I’m not worth it.”

Your hand stills. “What do you mean by that?”

“This happened because of me,” there’s pain in Wriothesley’s voice when it cracks. “You didn’t need to harm yourself for me, I’m more of a burden than you think, Y/n, nothing good will come out of loving me too much.”

For a second, everything stills. The beating of his heart, your breathing, the dull humming of the fortress’ mechanics, it all becomes silenced. The world only kicks up again when you speak.

“How could you say that about yourself?” You reprimand, shaking his face lightly. “A ‘burden’? Are you hearing yourself right now, Wriothesley? You’re not making any sense right now!”

There’s a passionate look in your eyes. One he doesn’t think a man like him deserves.

“I do not love you for ‘good things’ to come out of them, I love you because you are the good thing, and I will do anything for you to remain the way you are.”

Oh, he might cry again. Are there tears in the corners of his eyes? How can he help it when you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him?

“Don’t write me off as some poor soul whose subjected to your love,” you whisper, but he hangs on to every word you say. “Your love is not a burden I bear, but rather, the most fortunate thing I’ve ever had the luxury of cherishing.”

Unable to hold himself back any longer, Wriothesley presses his lips to yours in an all-consuming kiss. He drinks up all of your praise and lets it settle in his gut to bloom, untethering himself from the chains that rubbed his wrists raw. You love him, you love him more than he thought possible. 

How lucky he is that you pull him closer, selfishly taking all of him.

© EARTHTOOZ 2023, do not steal, translate, repost my fics and do not recommend my fics onto any other site.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 "𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐃𝐔𝐊𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐇" 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐊— 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐘

if there was one word you could use to describe wriothesley, it would be cold.

contents. 7.4k+ wc (please give it a chance 🙏) f!reader, a non-canon annual animal hunting competition, furina being in her matchmaker era, cliche but that’s kinda the point, there's a trope called the “cold duke of the north” trope that describes a very stereotypical male lead, super similar to the “company ceo trope”! picture creds: @/ochaiit - x notes. “on a scale from one to ten how self-indulgent was this alexis” a ten. i need him.

being a government official under the rule of focalors, you often have to do things you don’t want to do. the job description means a lot of things, including (but not limited to) enduring tedious meetings with neuvillette and rescuing stray kittens lurking outside the palais mermonia, but this really takes the cake.

“will you be a dear and let me know how wriothesley is doing?”

you blink as furina claps her hand excitedly, leaning forward to stare gleefully at the cookies that line the plate before her.

“…sorry?”

“well, i realized i actually don’t know that much about the fortress of meropide,” she smiles flippantly, completely enamored by the sweet treats in front of her, “i want you to do some routine check-ups and make sure everything’s running smoothly!”

“but i—”

“i’m sorry but i already let him know, so i’m afraid you don't have a choice in the matter.” her eyes peer up, that cat-like quality in her iris making your eye twitch; she gives you a close-eyed smile as she pushes the tray to the middle of the table, “here, take one as a gift! you can even give one to him if you’d like.”

“i’m alright, thank you.” you smile, waving your hands in front of you as the traitorous back of your mind wonders how you ended up with someone like her as your archon (seriously, your prospects in sumeru would fare far better), but you attempt to shush it as best as you can as your back sinks onto the plush pillows on the edge of the couch, your fingers unconsciously picking at the loose fuzz.

she studies your stature closely, barely disguising the glint of suspicion in her eyes.

“why do you look so flustered? does the duke make you nervous?” her grin shifts from virtuous to a more mischievous flavor as she daintily plucks a cookie off the tier, “hot and bothered, even?”

“no!” you protest quickly, shooting up from your position; her smile is teasing at best and almost evil at worst, making your face feel even more aflame as she chews on the cookie thoughtfully, patiently waiting for you to defend yourself more.

“i just…” you grimace under her stare, “don’t think he likes me is all.”

her eyes widen in surprise — real surprise, from what can you tell (a rarity from your archon). “whatever do you mean?”

“i mean, he’s always so…” you pause, biting the inside of your lip as you try to think of the word, “cold? he avoids me at every event he’s forced to come to, and when i think he’s just in a bad mood or something, i see him chatting up neuvillette or clorinde five minutes later! i haven’t done anything to him and he finds every excuse not to talk to me!”

“it doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me, maybe he’s just nervous?” she shrugs, her feet rocking back and forth as her heels hit the back of the couch.

you wrinkle your nose. “why would he be?”

your archon thinks for a moment, and for once, you think she might actually be genuine.

as soon as her mask slips, though, her playful smile is back on her face, and she bounds off her lounging position, grabbing a small cake to bring to her table.

“anyways, just check in with me once you’re done visiting down there, okay? i’ll get you access and everything so you don’t need to worry about that!” she sets the plate on the wooden desk — you stand up, knowing that this is her way of ushering you out.

“goodbye now!” she waves cheerfully as you make your way to the door, “i’ll have neuvillette send you the schedule later!”

you hope later means never.

(unfortunately for you, neuvillette has the schedule at your doorstep by sunset.)

I.) MUSCLES FOR DAYS (HARD-ROCK ABS, REALLY?)

“and this is where the inmates live,” wriothesley holds his hand out, helping you up the stairs, “the dormitories are all here; every person has their own bed, room, and bathroom, and although curfew is strict, it’s not unreasonable. so, are we done here?”

you look around the hallways leading to the rooms, split off into four clusters across multiple levels. furina and her insatiable curiosity for the deep fortress of meropide will be the death of you.

“i’ll be down here again if we're not,” you turn to him, showing him the crude map you’ve drawn of the fortress layout, “does this look right to you?”

he tilts his head, his pale eyes squinting at the rough sketch you’ve made before he lifts his right eyebrow, “i’m not sure why you put “gross food” in the cafeteria section, but other than that, it looks about right.”

you used to think wriothesley could actually be quite handsome if he talked to you more, but that was before his tactic switched from avoiding you to subtly pissing you off (the eye candy definitely helps, though).

“for furina,” you smile noncommittally, “she wouldn’t enjoy the food down here, it’s too heavy.”

his nods in acknowledgment. “it’s good that she can have you do her dirty work every time she wants to check up on this place, then.”

your eye twitches as you fold the map back into your pocket distastefully, biting your lip as your shoes clack against the steel floor, the iron lanterns providing some very much-needed warmth to the lack of it.

he's not wrong, she’s sent you down here multiple times for the past few weeks for “research” that the warden could easily provide her, but she's been insistent on sending you instead; today and the past three days have been about her pushing you to create a personalized map for her (as if she would ever go down there willingly). wriothesley’s comment definitely wasn't needed, but as long as you can get out of here as quickly as possible and return to where the sunlight actually shines, your day is still redeemable.

that is, until sigewinne ruins everything.

“your grace, your grace!” she runs up the other side of the steps as the two of you are making your way down — you quickly turn around at her panicked tone only to be met with wriothesley's abdomen, his ruffled black dress shirt tucked into his pants and his startled expression only a single step behind you.

you make a noise and take a step back out of surprise, only to have your foot trip on the step below you.

it all happens too fast for you to perceive, because one moment your heart drops in preparation for some inevitable head injury from the metal that makes up the damned place, and in the next, you feel someone's arm pull yours back, harshly stalling your fall as a blur of black and red envelops your body; your chin bumps painfully against his as you crash onto the floor, the pricking stinging at your skin and fuck, did you just—

wriothesley’s eyes are screwed shut in pain as his shoulder rams into the floor, a soft groan leaving his lips as you feel your face heat up, too flustered to move — his adam’s apple bobs as your warm exhales fan his neck, and archons, it feels like you’re lying against a wall. a soft wall, but a wall nonetheless; your arms grip at his biceps as you push yourself off of him after half a minute, his forearms sliding lax off of your back, grimacing. did he just take the brunt of the fall for you?

you stare down at him in horror, the heat from your hands contrasting the cold metal, the faint red on his lips contrasting his pale skin; his eyes open, dazedly staring at the ceiling instead of you.

it’s almost funny how he still somehow manages to avoid your gaze even when he’s injured.

you scramble off of him in the next moment, moving to extend a hand to his, helping him up with as much strength as you can muster (it is your fault anyway), trying to cover up the faltering mess you are.

it doesn’t help that you hang your face down low, avoiding eye contact as the heat creeps into your ears.

his lips are parted ever so slightly, a shaky breath escaping them before he heaves out a heavy sigh. “what hit me?” his fingers gingerly touch his chin as sigewinne bounds over to his side, calling his name out worriedly.

he didn’t feel your lips on his—? “my forehead,” you blurt out quickly, swallowing, patting your forehead, “i must’ve bumped your chin, i’m sorry.”

he blinks in confusion before he sighs for the umpteenth time (it really does seem like he's always sighing when you're around), straightening his back.

“be more aware of your surroundings next time,” he says stiffly, “i'll have deakin escort you back up, i apologize for not doing it myself.”

your expression sours at the thought of deakin before you remember that the warden is in front of you, and you flash a fake smile. “i'll see him up there, then,” your eyes flit to the melusine who stares innocently at you, biting the inside of your lip, “it was nice running into you, sigewinne.”

she offers to give you a small check-up with apologetic eyes but you refuse quickly; you can’t be down here for another second, not the way wriothesley’s pale eyes burn holes into the back of your head as you leave.

deakin is as rude and boring as ever, your interaction with wriothesley has rendered any ability to ever make eye contact with him again useless, and you’re a little bit more than pissed at furina for sending you down there in the first place, so when you see her waiting with hearts in her eyes and an excited grin on her face when you step out of the elevator, you have to mentally prepare yourself.

“so,” furina smiles innocently, “how did it go?”

you swallow, your cheeks warm under her gaze.

“…i think i accidentally kissed him,” your chin throbs, but not as fast as your heart is, “and i don't think he noticed.”

II.) THAT SPECIFIC HAIRSTYLE (WHY DOES HIS NEW HAIRCUT LOOK THE SAME?)

despite how incessantly you plead, furina insists on sending you back. you think she's been reading too many isekai novels that yae’s publishing house has been pushing out recently — not that they're bad, but because it's impossible to be blind to her motives.

“let me guess,” you shoot him a playful look, “they call you a demon on the battlefield.”

wriothesley raises an eyebrow. “i’ve never touched a battlefield in my life.”

to your surprise, the man didn't mention your embarrassing mishap that occurred on that very first day, which either means that he's just as mortified as you are or that you’d misjudged his character from the beginning, and he's actually a saint in disguise.

you think it might be the latter because even with your constant badgering over these past few weeks, he's never once complained; he just hangs back, letting you explore the nooks and crannies in the fortress without much grievance.

the excuse is a safety check this time, which is infinitely worse than the past days because you actually don't have many qualifications to decide what is safe and what isn't.

“are you good with a sword?”

“i prefer my fists.”

“i think swords are cooler.”

“keep talking and i can show you first-hand just how much cooler my gauntlets are.”

you laugh to yourself, your fingers trailing against the rusty pipes of the fortress and your snickers echoing against the hollow copper.

you glance at the man next to you as sneakily as you can, taking a moment to admire his stoic features. his words may have seemed to be mean-spirited, but he remains as aloof as he’s always been; his eyes shift to yours before you immediately turn away, staring up at the screws and bolts that line the area. you swallow, feeling your face heat up in embarrassment.

you and wriothesley aren't particularly best friends, no, but there are times — certain hours of the day and depth carved into your short allotments with him — when you feel a small connection buzzing between your fingertips and his, or when you catch him looking at you just a little bit longer than he’s supposed to. it gives you a childish sense of hope, the kind that lights giddy fires in your heart when he turns his head in your direction.

“so what’s up there?”

“hm?” wriothesley stops in his tracks at the sound of your voice, following your finger to the dark edges of the hallway. the tube you stand in is supposed to be empty, save for the random crab that stumbles its way in through the large pipes or overgrown flora covering certain areas, but you’re not lying, something is sparkling in the distance up ahead from you.

it’s dim enough that he can’t make it out until the two of you get closer, and through tentative steps, the two of you slowly approach it.

it’s a pool, he realizes, stopping no more than a few centimeters away from the platform's edge, barely inches above the still water that lies flat below him. you’re right behind him, peeking shyly from behind his shoulder to the clear blue under you (he feels your breath on his jacket for just a moment, your eyes peering at the water as if you're staring right past his skin).

“…this doesn’t bode well.” his voice doesn’t echo as much as it should, not with the swamped area and the sound of the fortress’s money practically going down the flooded pipe drain in front of him.

“wait, what do you mean?” you come up from behind him, kneeling down on the pavement. the loose rock digs into your knees and your hands grip the edges as you lean down as far as you can, practically bringing your chin to the water’s surface — you can’t help the wide smile that appears on your face as you turn to peer up at the man; from this angle, it’s beautiful, with seaweed and sand caved into the pool just a few feet away with shells and crustaceans alike, “can’t you use this to swim or something? i’m sure the inmates would love to stretch their limbs!”

“unlikely.” his face is grim, “this was supposed to be a drainage tube that also blocked water from entering, the fact that it’s broken down this much and for this long…i can’t even imagine the damage it’s done to the metal surrounding the area. it's already surprising enough that the left wing of the fortress hasn't been affected yet.”

it’s around this moment that you realize that you don’t like this expression on wriothesley’s face.

it's too similar to the cold and unfeeling appearance he used to parade around you, but it's worse because the way his eyebrows furrow and the way he bites his bottom lip shows something unnatural for wriothesley, something you've never quite noticed.

you know that realistically, he's probably worn “worry” before from deep within the shadows of his office and far from the blue sky that you know, but in all your years of knowing him, you've never seen it, the sullen gray that pools in his iris, the tense in his shoulders. it doesn't feel like him — a powerful and handsome warden such as himself should be gallivanting around with sly grins and open arms, not beating himself up over a mistake that no one's noticed before this.

“hey, did you get a haircut?” you ask randomly, swinging your fingers mindlessly across the still water.

he seems to shake out of his brooding stupor at your words, shifting his eyes to look down at you. “you’ve noticed?”

no.

“of course i did!” you lie through your teeth, creating ripples around your skin as you stare up at him. he nods in acknowledgment, his small frown still pulling at his lips as he contemplates his new problem.

there's much to do after all, the plumbers, builders, and conservationists will all cost a hefty amount of mora he doesn't know he can spare, not with the leaks in the right wing and the upgraded dorm construction that's already underway (it's not as if this isn't urgent, though, it's most certainly one of the more dire cases, however time-sensitive it is). it's been a while since he's applied for a loan, but maybe neuvillette could help him out, or maybe furina would even give him a free pass and tap into the treasury—

a splash.

“wrio?” his head quirks up again, this time because of the sudden nickname (unexpected, but not unwelcome), only to be met with the sound of a flick and something wet and salty on his face. he closes his eyes out of instinct, letting out a noise akin to a strangled gasp, spluttering on the water that sits on his skin as he hears you practically snort next to him.

your head is leaning against your free hand, brazenly smiling at the shocked look on his face — not the normal guilty look of a prankster, but the fact that your other hand still has water dripping off of it and that no playful seals are rippling underneath the blue leads him to the simplest conclusion he can think of.

“what was that for?”

to distract you, to make you feel better, because i wanted to — the explanations flood your head, but you respond by flicking him again, spraying small drops of saltwater back onto his face.

“your hair was just a bit messy, new haircuts tend to do that,” you stand up, reaching your hands up to fix his hair, ruffling your fingers where the black roots part on his scalp, swiping his cheek with the dry part of your wrist afterwards. your palm feels warm, despite how cold the water that settled on his skin felt, your nails grazing ever so softly against his temple, brushing one last time against the damp hair that lies on his forehead.

you step back, happy to see that his frown is indeed turned upside down (more like in complete shock, but you still count it), gently tapping his shoulder before you begin to make your way back through the hallway. “c’mon, let’s go talk to furina and neuvillette about this, i'm sure they'll get it fixed in no time if i'm there!”

his heart thumps loudly against his chest.

“why would it matter if you were there?”

the golden light from the lanterns reflects off of your jewelry as you turn back, a playful smile on your face. “they like me more, obviously.”

you lead the way, and after a moment of hesitation, he follows.

(he's not sure why, but in that moment, he thinks he might follow you anywhere you go.)

III.) COMMUNICATION ISSUES (SERIOUSLY, IS HIS FACE STUCK ON THE SAME SETTING?)

if there was one word you have to describe wriothesley, it'd be cold.

“hey, are you sure you’re not talking about yourself?”

his prison is far deep down in the sea where the sunlight doesn't touch, to say his personality is mysterious would be an understatement, and his cryo vision only seems to be a physical representation of his attitude.

“i feel like i could freeze in these temperatures myself.”

your nail leaves your mouth after the girl oh-so-rudely interrupts your musing — you turn your head to look at her — she’s being rather sarcastic for being someone who’s supposed to be here and comfort you, but you suppose that’s always been the way furina’s acted.

“you’re an archon,” the words escape your lips unceremoniously, “it’d be rather disappointing if you froze by a humble mortal’s stare.”

she both looks and behaves the same way you’ve known her ever since you walked into her palace at five years old, your eyes filled with wonderment at the destiny that awaited you if you chose to serve the archon the same way your parents and theirs had.

she has the decency to look worried, though, with her eyebrows furrowed in distress and the cerulean mixing with teal in both of her irises widening in concern. wriothesley’s eyes don’t look like hers, you think, hers are prettier by far, who would ever think—

“humble mortal’s glare.” she gives you a pointed look; you stick out your tongue before turning your head to face the copper that’s on your right.

you really wish you were looking out a window right now, perhaps a flower pot would be on the windowsill, with navy blue curtains tied neatly on the side? perhaps a bird would come to feed on the seed that lies outside, or a pretty nurse would be here to help tend to your wounds, but as much as you try to imagine it, the ugly red-orange of the metal stands out like a freak of nature in your eyes, reminding you just where you are.

“wriothesley and sigewinne should be here any moment,” furina places a hand on your shoulder, her gloves daintily patting it, “i think i’ll see myself around here — to check if your map is as correct as it could’ve been. i could fire you if it’s wrong, y’know!”

“don’t go near the cafeteria,” you sigh, staring forlornly at the wall, “you’d hate it.”

she blows a raspberry in your face, and you manage a snort, as much as you can without your stomach killing you.

knock knock.

your laughter halts immediately, and furina glances momentarily at the door; it swings open (rather rudely, you think, without much delay nor care) as wriothesley and sigewinne step through. his hair has grown ever so slightly since the last time you saw him, and the eyebags under his eyes are more prominent than usual, but still, he looks as handsome as ever.

“focalors,” wriothesley bows slightly in respect at his archon, sigewinne following his lead as furina curtsies back. the man spares a glance at you, only to be met with a bone-chilling glare that sends him facing furina immediately, a hospitable smile on his face.

“i’ll have deakin — not deakin—” he immediately corrects himself, “i’ll have chambodouc escort you through the fortress; sigewinne, i have something to discuss with the patient, are you free to take furina to the shop? wait outside when you’re done.”

sigewinne agrees happily, none the wiser to the daggers you pierce into wriothesley’s back with your eyes (either that, or she doesn’t care), skipping her merry way to chambodouc as your archon abandons you, trailing not too far behind. wriothesley sighs as he closes the door after them — your eyes watch consciously as he drags his body to pull the chair next to you out to sit down.

“are you alright?” he doesn't take the time to get comfortable, immediately on the edge of the seat with his back hunched, “do you feel too hurt anywhere?”

the stingrays that attacked you are far more forgiving than he is.

“no,” you say simply, “it aches, but sigewinne is masterful at her craft.”

he nods, rubbing his thumb against the ring on his pointer finger. there’s a second of silence that passes through, and for once, you think you might be able to enjoy a moment of peace to yourself, but the hunk of black and red decides to open his mouth again.

“…you really shouldn’t have been out there—”

you groan. “oh my god—”

“diving near here has always been known to be dangerous, something worse could’ve happened.”

“really? it’s almost like i was willing to take the risk, have you ever thought about that?”

he bristles. “you are in no position to be satirical right now—”

“and you are in no position to be here right now!”

the beat of silence comes again, but it’s heavier this time, too heavy for you to pretend that you could ever be at peace in your tawdry hospital bed in the fortress of meropide. you exhale, fluttering your eyelids closed as you muster up as much courage as you can before you ask him, “why are you here?”

at first, you thought you might’ve been looking into it too much — your ability to overthink is one of the reasons that furina hired you after all — and it honestly seemed like your relationship was fine before furina changed your schedule to something useful (in fact, it felt like you might even get closer to him), but he had gone radio silent ever since you stopped coming to the fortress regularly.

that’s why you’re surprised, you think.

you find yourself wondering if he’ll actually respond to your question, but by the way he remains silent, you’re afraid he might just get up from his seat and walk out. you shift, tilting your head down so that you meet his eyes; he almost jumps at the sudden movement, but he remains seated.

what kind of person do you have to be to ignore someone’s letters for weeks and show up at their injured bedside in the same breath?

how can he sit next to you with furrowed brows and concerned eyes when he asked neuvillette for your timetable so that you wouldn’t be in the palace when he went up there, not knowing you were just outside the office?

how could he practically reduce your relationship to what it was before furina assigned you down here?

“hey, did i do something to you?” you ask him bluntly, and his face falls in horror, “did i say something wrong? because if i did, you really should’ve just told me instead of—”

“no, no!” he waves his hands in a sort of protest, and he pauses, his lips wringing in hesitation, “you haven’t done anything wrong.”

“so what’s going on?”

the duke looks like he’d rather be anywhere but here, but he stays anyways. “i’m not avoiding you because of anything you did,” he utters his words slowly and meticulously, as if his entire reputation depends on them, “it’s my own shortcomings that are at fault.”

you blink.

“i don't have many…acquaintances outside the fortress, so i'm not exactly sure how to keep up with others,” his tone sounds strange — timid, even, “so when i got your letters, i kept holding it off because i wasn't confident i could say what i wanted to correctly.”

he continues, his posture unfitting of a duke, his shoulders hunched with shame. “it'd always be at the back of my mind as i did my duties, but it'd be far too late at that point to send one back without an excuse, which i didn't have. i never meant to make you wait for so long, it was just difficult for me to reply.”

your eye twitches. how has anything ever gotten done in the prison?

“so you thought it'd be better to just avoid me altogether?”

“i knew you'd be angry, rightfully, of course.” he tacks that last part as an offering of peace, a point of understanding he hopes you can connect.

“you do understand that i'd actually get angrier as you went longer with no reply, right?” you cross your arms, leaning back on the metal headboard of the hospital bed.

the man cocks his head to the side. “well, it makes sense now that you've said it.”

…okay, well now you feel bad. the cold warden of an even more unforgiving prison more resembles a man kicked to the side of the road, a solemn pout unconsciously playing on his lips as he practically sulks in his seat, and your heart melts for him just a little bit.

“so you were actually worried?”

“yes.”

“about me?”

“yes.”

“and you weren't avoiding me because you despise my presence?”

“of course not.” his answer is firm and definitive before he quickly adds, “but that doesn't mean you must forgive me, truly, i completely understand if you feel uncomfortable here, and we'll be sure to get you out as soon as—”

“it's okay, you don't have to keep apologizing.” the words escape your lips as you sigh in consolation, the relief washing over your body as you shift forward.

he nods, “…i really am sorry—”

“oh,” you joke, “be quiet.”

what you don't expect is for him to do exactly that, closing his mouth immediately as he stares at you in earnest.

if you weren't already so smitten with his eyes, you might find it creepy how bright they are — the wholeheartedness practically seeping into the pale hues. you feel heat crawl to the back of your neck, a heat that really only makes it's appearance when wriothesley gets close to you.

“let’s just start over and completely reset everything,” you fight back the incessant warmth, pulling your lips back into a tight smile, “clean slates.”

“…everything?” he echoes blankly, his eyes blinking in some sort of astonishment. he doesn’t want to reset everything, but he supposes he’s in no position to refuse if you want to, so he straightens his back, attempting to fix the frown that pulls from his lips. “alright, if that’s what you want.”

the seriousness in his expression makes your heart melt again, punching through it as if the past couple of minutes of your messy attempt to build your walls up again were mere seconds with toy blocks. 

yeah, you think, maybe gauntlets are better.

“…are you going to the chasse this year?” you tilt your head.

his eyebrows furrow. “i typically don't attend those types of events.”

“it would be wonderful if you did,” you smile; you've only been this close to wriothesley once, but his face shrouded by the dark lighting of the broken-down corridor could hardly compete with the sight you see before you, “rumor has it that a rather lonely official would appreciate your presence.”

“oh?” a hesitant, faint smile appears on his lips (you wonder just how wide his grin could be—if it's a toothy smile you can imagine in your head, if his canines are as sharp as you think they might be), and he glances up at your eyes again, “and would you consider this rumor to be true?”

“you'd have to be there to validate my answer anyways, wouldn't you?”

his expression cracks again, his mouth curving up as a chuckle escapes his lips. “i guess i would.” his head naturally tilts as he laughs, but you can barely think of a response to the sound of his laughter echoing in your ear, your face surely hot enough to boil the ocean around you.

his laugh is so cute.

“your smile suits you well, monsieur.” you end up blurting out the words without thinking, a wavering lilt in your tone as you gaze up at him in some awestruck stupor.

his lips are so cute.

he seems to freeze at the compliment for just a moment, before he bows his head. “thank you.”

he’s so cute.

the man suddenly gets out of his chair, keeping his head low before he turns around, practically making a beeline for the door, “i think i hear sigewinne outside, actually, so i probably shouldn't keep her waiting — i'll see you at the chasse!”

with that, he slams the door behind him, leaving you staring wide-eyed in the empty room.

…did you offend him somehow? you blink back your confusion, hesitating for just a moment before you clear your throat in the silent air, deciding that waiting for the fortress’s nurse to tend to your wounds is probably the best course of action. your face is hot and your fingers burn as you move to smooth out the wrinkled sheets that lie on top of you before folding the edges back neatly, leaning back onto your pillows with a strangled sigh.

how embarrassing.

on the other side of the door, sigewinne curiously peers up at her duke. he hasn't moved since he barged out of the room, his back as stiff as a line, one of his hands still on the metal handle and the other attempting to cover the lower half of his face.

“wriothesley,” she asks innocently, “why are you so red?”

IV. ASSET JEWELRY (OH, A BROOCH? FOR ME?)

out of all of fontaine's cultural festivals, the chasse is probably your least favorite. you don't really find hunting all that appealing nor do you like fraternizing with rich nobles who’ve never worked a day in their life, so the entire event is pretty boring for the most part.

“are you looking for somebody?”

neuvillette peers curiously at you as you sigh, flopping back into the seat next to him.

”no,” you grumble delicately, the dejected pout on your face a clear indicator that you’re lying, “i’m just bored is all.”

“well, please let me know if there’s anything i can do to pique your interest,” the man smiles softly as he rests his head back on the seat, somewhat of a knowing glint in the purple of his eyes, “or if there’s somebody that i can point to help you out.”

your eye twitches.

you make an embarrassed noise at his comment, and he continues to smile as the two of you overlook the stragglers that trickle into the open forest.

there are lot of familiar faces that you can see socializing with each other amongst the crowd; lynette and emilie, for example, are sipping on tea on the east side with many of the other ladies, conversing amongst the buttered biscuits and board games.

navia and clorinde are in a different corner, dressed in pantsuits and equipping their hunting gear as they talk, and you can even see charlotte bouncing around lyney and the rest of the crowd with her trusty camera at her side — all of these familiar faces, and still, the one that had promised to show up hasn’t yet.

“i’ll be right back,” you announce as you stand up again, and your head swivels to the man sitting beside you, “you’re fine to announce the event without me, right?”

“please, go ahead,” neuvillette gives you a close-eyed smile (it’s almost suspicious how agreeable he’s being), taking another sip of his tea, “furina will be here any moment, so we’ll be fine without you.”

the sun glares in your eyes and the leaves from the trees barely make enough shadow to provide shade against the relentless heat, but there are less people back here, so you’re quite positive that no one will disturb you on your quick break—

you give him a swift nod before you make your way down the steps before immediately turning to head back towards the exit.

you contemplate making an honest run for the gate and leaving before anyone can stop you, but your duty to fontaine is important, even if it caters to a hunting competition you’ve never appreciated since your youth. so, you branch off, turning to an open clearing nearby instead.

a hand grabs your arm, pulling you back.

a barely disguised shriek leaves your lips as your elbow hits the chest of your attacker, and they let out a grunt in response. you come to a horrifying conclusion that that particular wall of a chest feels far more familiar than you’d like to admit.

“wriothesley?” you quickly turn around, your feet tangling themselves against the soft dirt, and he catches your shoulder quickly, your body steadying against his palm. you look up, and your eyes sparkle.

“hi,” he gives you a wry smile, “fancy seeing you here.”

the suit he wears is far more fitting for a rich duke than his usual dress uniform — a long hunting coat drapes over his broad shoulders, buckled at the very middle with gold accents, a red dress shirt peeking out from behind the fur. his hair is styled differently too, swept back to reveal his forehead, a few rebellious strands sitting near his eyebrow.

you feel warm, and you're acutely aware that it's not because of the sun.

your eyes make the mistake of darting to his palm, zeroing in on the rings that line his knuckles, the veins that run on his skin, his fingertips on the edge of your shoulder. he seems to notice, because he quickly releases you from his grasp.

“um,” you clear your throat, ducking your head down just a bit, “yeah, you too! i honestly didn’t think you’d show up.”

his eyes dart to the side. “of course i did,” he says casually, “you asked me to come, didn't you?”

your cheeks flush.

“i'm glad you did.” you bite the inside of your cheek, and your eyes fall on the sword by his hip. “will you be competing?”

“i will,” he nods, his hand resting on the hilt; it looks new sheathed behind it’s cover, like it’s never been used before, “are you?”

you laugh, the smile breaking through your lips, “no, i’ll just be spectating today. i’ve never been into hunting, even if they are just robots.”

his eyebrows raise in surprise, and he falters, shifting with something in the pocket beside his sword. “a-ah, well,” he almost looks embarrassed underneath the sweltering sun, a sheepish grin on his face, “i guess that makes this useless, then.”

he pulls a small jewelry box from his pocket before carefully clicking it open, revealing a beautiful brooch in the middle. it’s the same deep red that’s the color of his suit, cut and polished, pinned and soldered to a golden casing, an intricate floral pattern fanning out past the gem. “i had hoped to wish you luck,” he admits, “i hope you still accept it.”

if you weren’t warm before, you surely are now.

giving jewelry to someone during the chasse was never just a tradition of good luck, no, it signified interest too. the novels that furina reads flood back into your head ー multiple women begging the crown prince to accept their charms, one girl accepting her lover’s and going on to win ー the flush on your face gets deeper, it’s so hot you might burn.

“this is how i know that you’re supposed to go outside more,” your voice comes out unnaturally high-pitched, “nobody has been trading jewelry for many years now.”

he hums. “i know,” he delicately takes the brooch out, clicking the box shut. he puts it back in his pocket, before he delicately grabs your hand, placing the jewel on your palm. it’s cool against the fire you feel on your skin at his touch, and he gently closes your fingers over it, making a fist. “i’m a romantic at heart. and, furina’s recommended your favorite books to me.”

of course furina is behind this.

you can hear a horn blaring from a distance, a sign that the event is about to start.

“can i confess something?”

you blink, and you look at him curiously. “sure?”

it blares again.

with the swift rush of the breeze that wafts past you, he leans down, his lips right next to your ear, his jaw tilted towards yours. “i’m only competing because i thought you would be as well,” his tone is soft and deep, “secretly, i hoped that i’d be receiving a piece of jewelry from you too.”

he steps back, and he gives you another smile. that’s two, you think. “since i’m not, though, please take care of that for me — if you cheer me on, i’ll be sure to win!”

with that, he walks away, the horn sounding a final time with a thunderous roar of applause. there’s a faint sound of neuvillette welcoming the diplomats, but if you’re being completely honest, you can’t hear a single thing behind the hot ringing in your ears. as wriothesley walks away, your thumb brushes against the jewel.

the forests of fontaine have always been beautiful, despite the random treasure hunter group or fatui members here or there, so you’re glad to be able to reconnect with the greenery after spending so much time in the city.

you think he might be prettier.

V.) A SOFT SPOT FOR THE FEMALE LEAD (WAIT, WHAT?)

if there was one word you could use to describe wriothesley, it’d be cold.

he’s aloof on good days and almost mean on bad days, his reputation is lower than the ground where the fortress of meropide resides, and his undoubtedly dark past leaves him closed off from the rest of the world.

he is…sweet, though.

“madame,” he taps on your shoulder, and you’re greeted with a different suit than the one he bore during the competition. it still looks exquisite on him, the long cape trailing past his tall legs, a tight navy vest hugging his chest, “what are you doing out here?”

“monsieur,” you smile teasingly as you set your wine glass down on the edge of the balcony. the moon is high in the sky now, the cold chill of fontaine’s atmosphere clear against the breeze, “i just needed a break from the festivities is all.”

he nods. “it’s pretty hectic in there, you made a good decision coming out here.” he exhales softly, closing his eyes, “...it did make it harder to find you, though. i was looking for you all night.”

when did wriothesley become such a natural flirt?

“i apologize,” you smile sheepishly, shifting your body to the side to allow more space, “here, feel free to join me!”

he accepts your invitation with a small smile, resting his arms against the stone, his head lying close to yours.

“congratulations on winning the hunt, by the way,” you play with your fingers, “seriously, i don’t think anyone stood a chance against you.”

“i admit that the sword was pretty cool.” his smile grows wider as he stares at the trees in the garden of the palais mermonia.

“i knew it!” you exclaim, nudging his shoulder in excitement, “gauntlets couldn’t have scored half of the points you got with a sword.”

“half is pushing it,” he snorts, and he looks down, his arm moving just a bit closer to yours, “besides, i had some motivation.”

you flush, becoming increasingly hyperaware of the brooch that you wear proudly on your dress. “i’m pretty good with a sword, y’know,” you inhale, “i could always teach you more sometime.”

“i’d like that,” he glances up at you, his blue eyes staring holes into you, half-lidded against the brightness of the moon, “it’d be nice to meet with you outside of official business.”

“we can call it non-official, then,” you smile innocently, “as long as furina doesn’t know.”

he chuckles lowly, and you can’t help but follow him, copying his movements. 

it’s silent for a moment with both of your heads rested on your arms, a cool breeze ruffling through your clothing as the party rages on inside. your voice comes out soft, almost a whisper that gets carried on with the rest of the night, “can i confess something?”

he perks up. “sure.”

“i would’ve accepted your brooch in a heartbeat if i wasn’t so shocked,” the embarrassment crawls up your neck, onto the tips of your nose, “even so, the only thing that i was thinking about was rushing back home and finding one to give to you.”

it’s like the atmosphere warms up with the way his eyes light up, and if you look closely, you can see a faint red that brushes against his cheeks. 

“i’m happy that you reciprocate,” his smile is smug, despite the blush that threatens fire on his body as he leans in closer, a teasing look in his eyes, “if you’d like, we can rush right back to your home right now.”

“why, youー!” you gasp in mock offense, hitting his shoulder. he practically cackles at his joke, and you glower, “you’re dangerous.”

“for you, i’ll try not to be.” 

his finger interlocks with yours absentmindedly, and he grins as the music begins again, “would you spare a dance with me tonight?”

the live orchestra plays live in the background warms up their instruments as guests begin to get into their places in the middle ー he leads you easily from your spot on the balcony, one hand on your shoulder, the other on your waist. 

the duke may be cold, but he makes you feel a fervor unknown to anybody else.

 “it would be my honor.”

wriothesley grew up around danger; his childhood was constantly filled with the fear of people who lurked behind dark corners, his teenage years spent fighting to reverse the system that was once used to punish him. he’ll try to be the least dangerous that he can be (although he’s pretty sure that’s not the danger you were talking about), and for you, he’ll endeavor to do his best.

much like the letters that he’ll continue to send you, he seals his pledge it with a kiss.

SIGHS. thank u for reading if youve made it this far!! wriothesley responding to letters is me w/ my texts 👎👎 fuck online communication that shit is unnatural