~Pearl to My Oyster~(WRIOLETTE FIC)

Chapter 24

Well... talk about awkward?

        Wriothesley had no clue how he'd gotten himself into this mess. It's started with a simple dinner, and now the Ex-Archon of Fontaine herself was calling him the father to a child he barely even knew...

"My apologies for... that. Miss Furina has a tendency of being rather... chaotic, to say the least."

"Hm? Oh, it's okay, just as long as she doesn't do anything too out of control, y'know?"

Neuvillette hums, his pretty periwinkle eyes reflecting the delights of the seeming never-resting Court of Fontaine. Wriothesley swallowed, and Archons above, he was getting way too flustered.

Don't blush, don't blush, DON'T BLUSH-

His train of thought was cut off when the Iudex was suddenly pushed into his arms, his hands instinctively going to grasp the shorter man's waist, confused, to say the least. Neuvillette reciprocated, hands on Wriothesley's muscular chest as he looked up, embarrassment visible on his pretty features at their rather compromising position.

Damn it, I'm blushing, aren't I?

The Duke internally facepalmed, sighing.

"Uh...? You good?"

Neuvillette nodded, a soft squeak escaping him, pulling away, but Wriothesley couldn't help but notice that it was... rather begrudgingly?

No, that can't be. He doesn't actually like intimate things like hugs, right?

Wriothesley thought to himself. Looking around, he saw Neuvillette cradling a Melusine in his arms, who was crying?

Concerned, he squatted down so that he was at equal height to both figures.

"Is... she okay?"

Murmuring, he understood. The Melusine, Veleda, if he wasn't mistaken, had scraped her knee from a fall. Presumably, she must've tripped on something, and bumped Neuvillette in the process as well, henceforth the entire... situation.

"Yes, just a scraped knee."

Neuvillette muttered back, shushing and cooing to her.

"There there, it's alright..."

Wriothesley's heart couldn't help but slightly flutter, seeing the way he almost mothered the Melusine. Was this a natural quality of his? He'd often observed it, with Lucille, the Melusines, Sigewinne, even sometimes little otters or critters.

Aw, how cute...

He chuckled, as the image of a tired Neuvillette running around the house, chasing after his "daughters" while wearing his hair up in a ponytail surfaced to his mind.

Veleda sniffled, getting up and dusting off her knees as she wiped her teary eyes.

"S-sorry, Monsieur Neuvillette, I tripped over my uniform... the pants are too big, I need to g-get them tailored by Miss Chiori..."

Neuvillette hummed, patting her little head and giving her a sweet smile. The mere sight of it made him lose his mind, and he couldn't help the pang of jealousy that blossomed in his chest. That wasn't fair... why did the Melusines get to have all his love? Why didn't he get any of that affection, those gentle touches, those sweet smiles? Hm... maybe he'd have to purposefully scrape his own knee sometime, just to receive his attention.

E-Eh?! 

He quickly realized his train of thought, and he covered his mouth, chuckling at how absurd his ideas were. An injury for the Iudex's attention didn't sound too bad, aside from the scoldings Sigewinne would bore him to death with later. 

Neuvillette rose, sending Veleda off with a gentle pat to her back. Turning back to him, his expression returned stoic, before his shoulders slightly relaxed, an almost fond look in the Iudex's face as he nodded at the Warden, his cold and unapproachable demeanor melting.

"Shall we continue?"