( neuvillette can read his exhaustion in the smallest detail. he doesn't know when he has become particularly adept at picking up on his tells, but now he sees them clear as day, little pieces of the puzzle that make up the mystery that is wriothesley, duke of meropide.
right now, he seems more interested in talking about neuvillette's feelings than his own, and neuvillette is reminded of wriothesley's tendency to work in the shadows, to keep himself out of the light one way or another.
he leans into his touch, eyelids fluttering at the gesture of affection, however defiant his hair might be. he does melt into that touch, however, and he gently pulls him in to press a soft kiss to his lips. in his gesture is something else he finds ought to be said, since they're being honest with each other — )
How sharp you are, as always, even when you're exhausted to the bone. Tell me, Wriothesley, what will it take for you to allow me to attend to you completely?
[ laughably, wriothesley, as he truly is beneath much of the veneer, is awfully uncomplicated. an easy enough read for the chief justice, who has undoubtedly overseen thousands upon thousands of trials and spent centuries brushing shoulders with the people in the overworld. but that kind of clear view into the whole of wriothesley’s person only comes by way of trust, and by sharing their lives and space together. even so, there are facets of each of them still kept tucked away, some hopefully left undisturbed unless the day comes when something breaks the lull of their little halcyon stretches in karteria and forces them to unravel those intricacies together. much like now, even as wriothesley sighs into the kiss before blinking away some of that dazed tenderness he reserves only for neuvillette. ]
I would have imagined the past week already counted for that. [ with wriothesley half on death’s doorstep and out of commission for most of it,; on top of being drugged and wrestling with the unruliness of his natural soul, they had even turned to others for help. and for all his own burdens to bear, wriothesley had been a mostly willing and cooperative patient through it. ] But it seems we both have rather different ideas of what caring for each other looks like.
[ then again, difference is almost where they thrive, or at least it's not something wriothesley has ever shied away from sharing. he has always been willing to meet neuvillette’s perspective where it stands, to look through the lens of the other’s utmost care, respect, and consideration. ]
Do you mind telling me what looking after me, or after each other, is to you?
It did, but... I still don't have a complete picture of what it looks like. However, for a start, one where you will allow me to shoulder your burdens alongside you.
( he ventures, because he understands that is a crucial part of humanity, and of... being together. neuvillette is still picking through what that can mean, now that they are more definitively bonded, and the sovereign finds himself unable and unwilling to pull back from his affection for him. especially not when he has been privy to wriothesley's profound mortality and stubbornness.
they have shared much together, and neuvillette is caught on the familiar dazedness of his eyes, the warmth of his words. his hand slides down, cradling him close. ) What do you see it as?
Well, that makes two of us. And thankfully, we won't have to make sense of it alone. Right?
[ it's a promise wrapped in a tease, but wriothesley leans further into neuvillette when the other's hand traces the dips and curves of him. all of this feels right, even if there's still that hairline crack of doubt, some quiet concern that all this confidence and hope between them is only the work of their pair bond. a wholly unnatural and invasive thing, perhaps, but if it's nothing more than a link that lets them share their innermost feelings, then wriothesley finds comfort in knowing his fondness is entirely reciprocated. ]
But I figure a large part of caring for you is building some sense of peace between us, whether here in Karteria, around the house, or while we're fussing over work. [ and when he says it aloud, it doesn't sound all that different from neuvillette's own perspective. ] To help you breathe a little easier every day, if that makes sense.
[ although wriothesley isn't blind to neuvillette's intentions. he himself can twist any words or gently steer the conversation elsewhere, but if he means to honor the trust neuvillette places in him, then he has to do the same and surrender to being cared for in a way he's never had much reason to consider. ]
Now laying our burdens in each other's hands is a bit difficult for me to do... Not because it's hard to talk about— [ it isn't. with a little coaxing, wriothesley could share his anxieties as easily as any other point of conversation. it's trusting the other side of it to truly care, and to stay, that proves harder. ] It's just never really struck me as something important to share. A fair bit of what I was fighting during the worst of the corruption was being... plagued by some rather unpleasant memories.
[ there's a pause as he begins to share some of those thoughts, just as neuvillette had asked, albeit in his own clumsy sort of way. ]
But those were things entirely outside anyone's control, so I never saw much point in dwelling on what neither of us could rightly change.
Edited (90 day spring cleaning) 2026-03-26 04:51 (UTC)
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right now, he seems more interested in talking about neuvillette's feelings than his own, and neuvillette is reminded of wriothesley's tendency to work in the shadows, to keep himself out of the light one way or another.
he leans into his touch, eyelids fluttering at the gesture of affection, however defiant his hair might be. he does melt into that touch, however, and he gently pulls him in to press a soft kiss to his lips. in his gesture is something else he finds ought to be said, since they're being honest with each other — )
How sharp you are, as always, even when you're exhausted to the bone. Tell me, Wriothesley, what will it take for you to allow me to attend to you completely?
no subject
I would have imagined the past week already counted for that. [ with wriothesley half on death’s doorstep and out of commission for most of it,; on top of being drugged and wrestling with the unruliness of his natural soul, they had even turned to others for help. and for all his own burdens to bear, wriothesley had been a mostly willing and cooperative patient through it. ] But it seems we both have rather different ideas of what caring for each other looks like.
[ then again, difference is almost where they thrive, or at least it's not something wriothesley has ever shied away from sharing. he has always been willing to meet neuvillette’s perspective where it stands, to look through the lens of the other’s utmost care, respect, and consideration. ]
Do you mind telling me what looking after me, or after each other, is to you?
no subject
( he ventures, because he understands that is a crucial part of humanity, and of... being together. neuvillette is still picking through what that can mean, now that they are more definitively bonded, and the sovereign finds himself unable and unwilling to pull back from his affection for him. especially not when he has been privy to wriothesley's profound mortality and stubbornness.
they have shared much together, and neuvillette is caught on the familiar dazedness of his eyes, the warmth of his words. his hand slides down, cradling him close. ) What do you see it as?
🎀😘
[ it's a promise wrapped in a tease, but wriothesley leans further into neuvillette when the other's hand traces the dips and curves of him. all of this feels right, even if there's still that hairline crack of doubt, some quiet concern that all this confidence and hope between them is only the work of their pair bond. a wholly unnatural and invasive thing, perhaps, but if it's nothing more than a link that lets them share their innermost feelings, then wriothesley finds comfort in knowing his fondness is entirely reciprocated. ]
But I figure a large part of caring for you is building some sense of peace between us, whether here in Karteria, around the house, or while we're fussing over work. [ and when he says it aloud, it doesn't sound all that different from neuvillette's own perspective. ] To help you breathe a little easier every day, if that makes sense.
[ although wriothesley isn't blind to neuvillette's intentions. he himself can twist any words or gently steer the conversation elsewhere, but if he means to honor the trust neuvillette places in him, then he has to do the same and surrender to being cared for in a way he's never had much reason to consider. ]
Now laying our burdens in each other's hands is a bit difficult for me to do... Not because it's hard to talk about— [ it isn't. with a little coaxing, wriothesley could share his anxieties as easily as any other point of conversation. it's trusting the other side of it to truly care, and to stay, that proves harder. ] It's just never really struck me as something important to share. A fair bit of what I was fighting during the worst of the corruption was being... plagued by some rather unpleasant memories.
[ there's a pause as he begins to share some of those thoughts, just as neuvillette had asked, albeit in his own clumsy sort of way. ]
But those were things entirely outside anyone's control, so I never saw much point in dwelling on what neither of us could rightly change.