Hawks Sjdjsjsjdbsjsn (and Dabi Ye)

hehe, Im already interested to read this ^^

Prologue

pairing: Wriothesley x f! reader

trigger warnings: violence, blood, murder, imprisonment, suggestive, ptsd, mentions of child abuse

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The streets of Fontaine were bathed in the golden hues of the setting sun, casting long shadows and giving the city an almost ethereal glow. The meeting with the Iudex of Fontaine in Palais Mermonia had been as expected—tense and bureaucratic. Discussions about the affairs related to Meropide were never easy, but the Duke was thankful for the cooperation and support he often received from Monsieur Neuvillette.

Wriothesley’s heavy footsteps echoed against the cobblestones.  He rarely ventured to the surface, but duty had called. Now, as the golden hues of the setting sun bathed the city in a warm glow, he made his way through the bustling streets of Fontaine. The surface world, with its vibrant life and spectacle, always felt a world apart from the fortress he governed.

He exhaled slowly, a sigh mingling with the evening breeze, as his thoughts drifted to the faces of the prisoners. Each one had a story, a past, and sometimes, Wriothesley wondered if he would ever truly understand morality as a whole. Lost in contemplation, he barely noticed the few passersby giving him a wide berth, recognizing the emblem of his station and the aura of authority he carried. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he navigated through the throng of people.

He barely registered the world around him until a sudden impact jolted him from his thoughts. He had collided with someone, and the force of it sent them both stumbling.

“Oh, for the love of–!” The exasperated voice brought him back to the present. He looked down to see a young woman picking herself off the ground, brushing the dust from her garments. Her eyes, alight with irritation, met his, and she frowned deeply.

“Watch where you’re going, will you?” she snapped, not caring that he towered over her. Wriothesley found himself momentarily speechless. The setting sun framed her face, casting a radiant glow that highlighted her delicate features. Her beauty struck him, the kind that seemed to draw the light towards her, making her skin glow and her eyes sparkle with an inner fire.

“I’m terribly sorry,” he managed to say, his voice softer than usual. He noticed then the bouquet of flowers scattered on the ground, petals crushed and stems broken. Flowers? A curious pang of disappointment twisted in his chest. Did she have a suitor already?

"You should be more careful! It is a busy street!" she retorted, dusting off the last of the debris. Her eyes darted to the ground where a bouquet of flowers. "Great, just great. Now I have to remake this bouquet and I'll be late for the delivery."

Wriothesley watched as she hurriedly gathered the damaged flowers, her frustration evident. She handled the blooms with a surprising tenderness, and he felt an inexplicable urge to assist her.

"Let me help you," he offered, kneeling to pick up a few of the scattered flowers.

“These were for a customer,” she explained, kneeling down to gather the remnants of the bouquet. “A difficult one at that.” She sighed, still irritated. Her hands moved with a practiced grace, but there was a hint of urgency in her actions.

“I’m really sorry about that,” Wriothesley repeated, a hint of guilt creeping into his tone. He handed the flowers he’d picked to her and she was already on her feet, clutching the ruined bouquet.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said, her irritation giving way to resignation. “I’ll just have to work faster.” She offered him a brief, distracted smile, more out of politeness than anything else, before dashing off down the street, leaving him standing there.

Wriothesley watched her go, her figure soon swallowed by the crowd. He stood there for a moment longer, the noise of Fontaine’s streets fading into the background. The warmth of the setting sun lingered on his skin, but the encounter had left a different kind of warmth in his heart. He absentmindedly reached up to adjust his collar and felt something unusual. Pulling it free, he found a petal of a red poppy flower nestled in the fabric. He held it between his fingers, its vivid color a stark contrast to the muted tones of his attire. The petal, delicate and vibrant, seemed to carry a weight of its own, leaving him with a sense of unease. With a final glance at the direction she had gone, Wriothesley turned and continued his walk, his thoughts no longer solely occupied by the fortress of Meropide. The image of her fiery eyes and the way the sunlight had kissed her features stayed with him. He resumed his journey back to Meropide, the image of the spirited florist and the red poppy petal lingering on his mind.

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hawks taking a lil trip🪶

Ah, yes...me, my gf and her giant Hawks-themed cockatiel

Scars

Contents: post-war. Hurt/comfort. Fluff. Very sappy.

Word count: 1.8k

Pairing: Hawks x reader

“I look…sick,” Keigo mumbled, looking in the bathroom mirror hanging over the sink. You were both getting ready for bed, and you almost choked on toothpaste as you brushed your teeth when he said that. You rinsed out your mouth and glanced into the same mirror he was staring into. You didn’t see what he saw, you knew that much.

Sure, suppose you looked hard enough his skin was paler, and dark circles under his eyes from a lack of sleep. In that case, his now often night terrors waking the both of you up at ungodly hours of the morning-, the red angry scar that ran down from the peak of his cheek to his neck and exploding across his back where his wings used to reside. Angel wings stained with blood that you used to love to run your fingers through so much now gone, leaving only red scar tissue behind on his once unblemished skin. And he had a problem with it all, you knew he did. But you didn’t; you didn’t take issue with a single thing about him.

“I think you look handsome,” You insist, kissing the scar on his cheek gently, your hand gently running up and down his bicep. “C’mon, we need to put your scar cream on and blow dry your hair. I don’t want you going to bed with wet hair, you might catch a cold.” You giggle softly but there’s no trace of amusement on his face causing your smile to falter.

You take his hand, pulling him back into the bedroom, the wide windows that encompassed most of the left wall gave a view of the expanse of the entire city below. Rain gently tapped against the glass and the moonlight made a soft light in the room. You sat him down on the edge of the bed and flicked on the lamp that was on the nightstand, warm light illuminating the room better so you could see what you were doing.

You gently pulled out the drawer of the nightstand and took out a tub of off-white cream that the hospital had sent you home with for his scars to ensure they healed the best they could. Of course, they’d never leave his skin, it was important to make sure they healed properly to lighten the color of them and prevent any possible infection and such.

You try to take his hand in yours, always working on the scars on his palms first and then his cheek along with the small scar on his forehead and working to his back which required the most care. But he pulls his hand away stubbornly, making you sigh.

“I don’t like the way it feels…it’s too thick, it never rubs into my skin fully and it’s uncomfortable.” He complains. You understood, you didn’t like when your scented lotions were too thick because it also seemed like they never actually rubbed in fully. But there’s a difference between wanting to put scented lotion on and needing to put a cream on for burn scars. He debated you every time. It was practically part of the routine. It was more concerning when he didn’t debate, that was when you had to check up on him to make sure he was doing okay.

“I know you don’t, but it needs to go on. Please, for me?” You plead softly, kissing his cheek softly. You watched as he thought it through before he huffed softly and turned his head from you with a soft whine.

“Fine…You can do it…” He pouts. It’s so cute but you don’t push your luck, you could shower him with affection in a little. In a way, this was affection you supposed. Take care of him like this, how he did with you before the war. You took care of each other, it was mutual. That’s what you do for people you love. You and Keigo have a special kind of love.

You slab the ointment on his open palm, rubbing it into the lines of his palm. If you could palm read you’d say something sappy about heart line or fate line. But you don’t, so you stay silent as you focus on gently massaging his palm. When you’re done you glance at him, his soft gaze focused on your hand in his and you brush your thumb against his knuckle and his eyes snap up to yours.

“Hey,” You smile softly.

“Hey, pretty,” Keigo whispers, moving in to kiss your neck but you stop him. Your palm is flat against his chest.

“Not yet, later. Let me finish first, baby.” You giggle softly. He was always quick to try and distract you before you got the scar on his cheek. Even if he had to play a little dirty by trying to distract you with sweet words and kisses.

He pouted, about to protest before you gave him a quick peck on his cheeks and quickly put some ointment on his cheek before he could stop you. You can see the instant look of irk on his face. But you make fast work of gently rubbing it into his cheek and down to his neck. Moving behind him.

He was already shirtless from the shower you both took, only in his boxers which were old and worn barely hanging on by the seam. Maybe it was a thing with just Keigo, or maybe all men, But he clung to boxers and socks until they were nothing more than a string. You had to harass him to toss them and then drag him shopping to pick up new pairs.

It didn’t make it any more dignifiable that said boxers were quite literally his own merch, a limited edition thing his PR did. The same design as his belt on the waistband of them. If you had any say it was a little tacky but whatever made him happy, and people loved them. No more of that. Which saddened you. No more fun brand deals and such. But at least he still had his modeling gigs, now as the president of the commission. Which meant he wore more suits in them, focused on being more professional and sexy and not just ‘hot blonde playboy-esque’.

You weren’t complaining.

You took a moment to appreciate the expanse of his back. The muscles. His shoulder blades. You knew he was self-conscious of the scar tissue from the burns he got when his wings burned off which are now completely gone. But you didn’t mind. You missed his wings sometimes, of course, you both did.

How they’d protectively wrap around you whenever he got a little jealous. How they used to puff up whenever you’d kiss him or do something he deemed cute. His wings were a core part of him, his personality almost. An extension of his body language. And they were gone now. But that didn’t mean you stopped loving him.

You make fast work on massaging the cream onto his back scars, going quickly to avoid making him uncomfortable for too long.

When you finish you gently trace your finger down his spine and giggle when his posture straightens out. Leaning over to kiss his cheek and getting up to grab a towel from the bathroom. You drape the towel over his head, drying his hair with it. You gently comb your hands through his damp hair for a little while, sitting in silence as you play with his hair before you suck in a breath and pull out the blow dryer from under the bed. Plugging it in and taking your time until his blonde hair is poofy and fluffed up before you straighten it out with your fingers so it’s not as messy.

“All done,” You hum, flicking the dryer off putting it back in its box, and sliding it under the bed again.

“Thank you…c’mere.”

You knew what he wanted.

When he still had those bird avian instincts that accompanied his quirk, he’d always preen you. Sometimes when he was bored or if you had come home in a rough state. It was soothing for him, and you alike. Even now that those instinctual feelings left him, it was his way of having a semblance of normalcy even now.

You found purchase on his lap, and he went to work. His hands straightened out your hair and messed with your shirt until it sat evenly on your shoulders and he was satisfied.

You yelped softly when he pulled you up further onto the bed, pulling the covers up over your body and holding your back against his chest.

“I wanna see you,” You whine softly in protest, hearing him sigh as his arm leaves its tight hold on your waist and you turn over to look at him face to face. You lean far over him to flick off the lamp and then lay back down, the only light filtering through the window casting a light blue hue across his face from the moonlight.

He was so pretty.

You wondered what was going on in his head sometimes. You only knew what he told you, or what you could infer from how he acted.

“We should get married…” He whispered.

You stayed silent in thought for a moment before snuggling closer to him.

“Why now?” You ask.

“Why not now? We have peace…or at least we’re in the process of rebuilding it…I finally have some time on my hands. I want to slow down a little. With you. Maybe make a little family, a couple of chicks running around. But that’s an…entirely different conversation for another night.”

Your cheeks flush at the mention of children, not like it’s scandalous or anything but still. You lay in thought for a few seconds. Thinking it through. He has a point; you can both go slow now. Finally. After being the fastest man he can finally take a breath. So it makes sense he’s becoming a bit more family-oriented. And you guessed after everything he’s been through, his multiple near-death experiences. No wonder he wanted to marry you. You’d been together long enough.

“Okay…but just…propose to me properly, yeah?” You smile softly when he chuckles and nods. His hand comes to gently pet your hair.

“Yeah, I will…It’ll be kind of a surprise…I’ll find a way to make it a surprise, which will be hard since I already spoiled it but still…I’ll make it feel special. I’ll make you feel special because you are.”

“I look forward to it,” You giggle softly when he begins to pepper kisses all over your face before his lips lock with yours for a few seconds before he pulls back, tugging you close against him like you’re a stuffed animal or toy.

“Get some rest, baby. You have a long day of work tomorrow.” You whisper softly, hearing him yawn softly before he hums in agreement.

“Goodnight, sweetheart. I love you.”

“I love you too,”

On my way to read chapter 1 ehheheheheheh 😈

(btw, such an amazing job you do! I've been reading your fics since I found Feather Bound (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠) )

With Love, Mr. President just got a new chapter!!

A current WIP on my Ao3. Follow Keigo on a postwar journey as he navigates his new job and a secretary that just loves to give him shit.

Smut and angst galore 🤭❤️

*inhale* *exhale*

I just watched and listened to all EPIC songs and oh my, I can't even describe how I feel after all that

i didnt even knew this masterpiece existed after I got to knew Would You Fall in Love With Me Again

Another one but now Mirko :b

This was so good...!! (I already imagine how elegant reader and wrio looked :'D)

Oh, the man he is... (Wriothesley x Reader)

Wriothesley x fem!reader; fluff, shared feelings, implied mutual pining or some sorts + Sigewinne, Furina, Neuvillette appeared as cameos!

You had agreed to extend your work in the Fortress, much to Wriothesley’s delight. However, recently, he found it harder and harder to spend time with you, and it left him feeling restless.

((The story is a sequel of my previous fic here! Although you can always read it separately, the build-up is somewhat connected to the previous one))

Words: 3.1k

Notes: 

I’ve always wanted to do the continuation of my previous stories, but I clearly went overboard for this one since I didn’t plan this to be this long. But, I mean, it’s Wriothesley, who could resist? ;) and don't judge the title pls HELP

Enjoy the story!

•~•~•~•

No, Wriothesley wasn't a jealous man.

As a responsible warden of the fortress, he remained focused on his professional duties, fully acknowledging the demands they entailed.

However, ever since you’ve agreed to extend your work at the Fortress of Meropide—with Neuvillette’s permission, of course, Wriothesley had unconsciously developed a habit of seeking you out—whether it was to hand you some documents or simply to ask about your day. 

Yet, it had been a week since he had a proper conversation with you, since the conflicting work schedules you two had left little time to spend with each other. And somehow, it was starting to bother Wriothesley more than it should. 

Wriothesley exhaled as he stood up from his office seat, leaving piles of documents sprawled on his desk. Despite his usual preference for lunching in his office, he found himself walking towards the cafeteria.

As he approached the bustling cafeteria, his hopes lifted momentarily when he saw you already seated, only to deflate when he spotted you already seated… with another young man in front of you. 

Oh. He thought to himself.

In that moment, he recalled that your latest work involved cooperation with some of the fortress’ members. Right, it was business matters and he’s the Duke of Meropide, he got nothing to worry about, right? 

So, he greeted you, asked about your day, and went back to his office.

•~•~•~•

Wriothesley surely wasn’t a jealous man...

Another day, he discovered that you were done for the day as your work for the day was finished. He was just about to step out of his office to search for you when, to his surprise, you appeared right in front of the office doors. What luck, he thought to himself. However, your sheepish smile hinted at something else.

“Oh, hi, um— I’m here to tell you that I won’t be here for the weekend.”

His plans to ask you out crumbled inside his head.

“Oh, you got called in by the court?”

“No, but I’ve got other things to do,” you replied as you gave him an apologetic smile. “Is that okay?”

Well, he couldn't just outright refuse; after all, you deserved a break too. However, his mind raced, wondering about the nature of the 'other things' you had mentioned. Was it work-related? Or perhaps it was something more private?

"Of course, don’t worry about it," Wriothesley reassured you with a smile, trying to bury his own thoughts as he mentally cursed himself for his train of thought. "I'll see you next Monday then."

You thanked him and went off. He sighed, hoping that you would be available for the weekend so he could at least ask you out. But for now, he would have to wait.

•~•~•~•

Wriothesley definitely wasn’t the jealous type... or so he believed.

But lately, he couldn't shake this nagging feeling of restlessness. You seemed busier than ever, going back and forth between the surface and the fortress. And, to make matters worse, you were spending less time with him compared to a certain assistant. This young man had been assisting you in the latest case at the fortress, and he seemed to be handling it well. In fact, it was Wriothesley himself who suggested you to appoint an assistant in order to lighten your workload—as you seemed to have some business to take care of on the surface, only to find himself now competing for your attention.

It was like his own idea to help you had turned against him, backfiring in the most frustratingly ironic way possible. 

Massaging his temples, Wriothesley groaned as his thoughts swirled in his head.

“Feeling unwell, Your Grace?” Sigewinne's soft and cheery voice interrupted his brooding as she entered his office, carrying documents from the infirmary.

“Oh, Sigewinne, it’s nothing,” Wriothesley exhaled. “Thanks for the documents though.”

“If you’re wondering about y/n, she’s already gone to the surface,” Sigewinne said softly, yet, her tone masking a hint of mischief.

Wriothesley sighed in defeat. “Right, the event tomorrow. I figured she'd be attending.”

“Didn't she tell you?” Sigewinne asked innocently.

Oof.

Wriothesley fell silent, then replied, “No, but I had a hunch.”

“I saw her heading to the surface with Antonio—the assistant, did I get his name right? I heard there’s a ball in the event, right? Maybe they’re preparing for it,” Sigewinne added, her smile widening just a bit, her eyes anticipating his reaction. 

Wriothesley lifted his head to stare at Sigewinne, at a loss for words.

Wait, were you actually planning on dancing together with Antonio?

She giggled innocently at his reaction before continuing.

“But you’ll be there too, Your Grace. And for security reasons, I don’t see any problem,” she chirped, her amusement evident in her voice.

With a grumble, Wriothesley stood up and headed straight to his room. “Security reasons, right… I’ll need to think about tomorrow's outfit then…”

Sigewinne watched him go, giggling softly to herself.

“Racing hearts, rising blood pressure, uneasiness. Yep, those are the physical symptoms of jealousy, alright,” Sigewinne mused to herself.

“Human emotions are truly interesting.”

•~•~•~•

You stared at the dress laying on top of your bed at your dwelling in the surface, mentally preparing yourself up with confidence to wear it for the event tomorrow. In fact, Furina had picked the dress together with you. Classy, beautiful, drop-dead gorgeous; was what she commented. But honestly, when was the last time you'd slipped into something so elegant? 

As you lay back on your bed, your mind wandered over the events of the past few weeks.

--few weeks before--

“A… ball, you said?” 

"Yes, in fact, Lady Furina will be hosting the event. And we are expected to attend as representatives from the court," Neuvillette explained, his tone as flat as ever. Beside him, Lady Furina nodded eagerly. “The ball will pose as the closing ceremony.”

"Ah, I see... so the event about three weeks away," you replied, your confidence faltering slightly. "To be honest, I'm not exactly skilled at dancing..."

"Oh, nonsense! A Fontainian lady must know how to dance!" Lady Furina interjected, her voice brimming with determination. "Fear not! I'll personally train you at least twice a week until the ball. How does that sound?"

You swallowed nervously, anticipating her rigorous training methods. You glanced to Neuvillette, only to found him nodding in agreement. 

"Um... alright, thank you for the offer, Lady Furina. I'll try to make time during the weekends."

"Excellent! It's settled then!" Lady Furina exclaimed with a wide smile, her hand clasped in front of his chest. "Meet me in front of my house this weekend!"

You closed your eyes, recalling the training sessions with Furina as you tried to gather your confidence for tomorrow. Although you could safely say you were doing okay-ish with the training, your mind kept wandering back to a certain man in the fortress, leaving you longing for the interactions you shared with him.

•~•~•~•

The next evening, the venue began to fill with people, the atmosphere bustling with liveliness. You positioned yourself near the Palais Mermonia members, keeping Neuvillette in your sight as you glanced over at Furina, who was already engaged in conversation with other people.

As you talked with various guests, your thoughts often drifted to whether Wriothesley would attend the ball. The idea of dancing with him crossed your mind, but so far, he was nowhere to be seen.

Come to think of it, you hadn’t told him a thing about your secret dancing lessons. 

“You haven’t found a dance partner??” Furina's panicked tone was evident as she approached you, her arm linked with Neuvillette's, signaling that they would dance together. 

“Um, well, not yet…” you mumbled, feeling a bit flustered.

“Oh, my! I won’t allow you wasting your skills today! Let me see…”

Furina pondered for a moment before suggesting a few Palais Mermonia attendees as potential partners. However, none of them really piqued your interest. If you want someone, it would be– 

“Wriothesley is also attending this event too, in case you are wondering,” Neuvillette added suddenly, catching you off guard.

Your eyes widened slightly at the unexpected mention of Wriothesley's presence. You knew Neuvillette must be offering his personal opinion, perhaps based on his own observation of your close working relationship with the Duke, in addition with Wriothesley's request to extend your stay at the fortress. However, the comment had caught you off guard, and you went silent, a faint blush tinting your cheeks as you hid your excitement.

But your reaction had caught Furina’s attention as her smile turned into a mischievous grin. “Ah, the Duke of Meropide! How could I forget?” she exclaimed dramatically, holding her hand up to her face. “I saw him near the gardens earlier. You should go check him out!”

Although you realized her attempt on teasing you, you found yourself nodding hastily and made your way outside to the place she had mentioned. 

“And the ball is starting in fifteen—!” Furina added rather enthusiastically, her voice trailing behind you. 

And so, you went outside. The atmosphere was less crowded than indoors, but there were still plenty of people mingling about. You paced around in search of Wriothesley when suddenly, a young man intercepted you from the side, introducing himself.

“Good evening, m’lady. You're as lovely as a fresh rainbow rose. Would you do me the honor of a dance?”

“Thank you, but I’m actually looking for someone…” you began, trying to politely decline.

“A dance partner, perhaps?” he persisted, holding out a real rainbow rose this time.

“I’m sorry, but I really should— ,“ you attempted to excuse yourself, but he wasn't taking the hint.

“The ball's starting soon. It'd be a shame not to enjoy a dance with such a beautiful lady…”

Feeling pressured but unable to escape his persistence, you were about to step away, but a reassuring hand suddenly clasped your waist, holding you close from the side.

“The lady clearly indicated she wasn't interested.”

Relief flooded through you as you immediately recognized the voice. Looking up, you saw Wriothesley standing with a polite – or perhaps, intimidating – smile on his face, standing rather menacingly in front of the persistent man. The young man went off immediately, clearly taking Wriothesley’s cue.

After the man had hurriedly retreated, Wriothesley released his arm from your waist and turned towards you, his gaze lingering for a moment, a small smile playing on his lips as he took time to admire your delightful appearance. He then bowed slightly towards you, lifting your hand with a gentle touch and pressed a small kiss to the back of it.

“M’lady,” he murmured, his voice low and husky. 

You were stunned by his gentlemanly gesture, as you just felt a flutter of butterflies inside your stomach. “Wriothesley…” You found yourself momentarily at a loss for words, struck by how incredibly charming he appeared in his formal attire.

“You look stunning,” he complimented, his warm gaze met yours, a stark contrast to the coolness of his icy-colored eyes. You shyly thanked him for his kind words, feeling a warmth spreading through you at his sincere compliment.

As the two of you were lost in the brief moment of admiring each other, he cleared his throat, subtly regaining his composure as he glanced around. “…Are you perhaps, waiting for someone?” he asked as his curiosity piqued. 

“Oh, well, I was…”

Wriothesley immediately caught onto your choice of words.

“You… were?”

“Mhm, but not anymore,” you replied with a warm, sheepish smile.

A hint of confusion flickered across Wriothesley's face, his thoughts momentarily jumbled. Wait, so you weren't waiting for Antonio, which meant…

You sensed his slow realization and couldn't help but let out a small laugh as you added, “You, Wriothesley. You’re the one I’ve been searching for.”

Your words came out cheesier than intended, and you felt a blush creeping up your cheeks as you scrambled to explain. But Wriothesley did not seem to care as his smile grew wider. It was what he had hoped to hear. 

But then, before he could say anything, your attention shifted to the direction of the building, with the music began playing from inside the hall, signaling that the ball had already begun as people started flocking into the building.  

Observing the dwindling crowd, Wriothesley turned to look at you. “As much as I want to dance with you, I don’t think we’ll make it in time inside.”

You returned his smile at his eagerness to dance with you. You looked around, taking in the serene atmosphere of the nearly empty garden. “It’s fine. Instead… I’d hate to miss the beauty of the moon tonight.”

He gave you an affectionate smile as he seemed to understood the hint, and extended his arm towards you. “Well then, m’lady, may I have the honor of a dance?”

With a nod, you gladly accepted his hand. “Of course, Your Grace,” you replied, earning a small chuckle from him at your sudden formality.

As the music played softly in the background and the moon cast its gentle glow upon you, you and Wriothesley began to dance. The waltz you had practiced with Furina proved its worth as you both moved gracefully under the enchanting night sky. You realized that you had been longing for his company for this whole time.

As you danced, you became acutely aware of the close proximity between you and Wriothesley. Your faces were just inches apart, and his eyes seemed to be locked onto yours with an intensity that made your heart race. His hand rested firmly on your back, providing a reassuring support, while the other held yours with a gentle yet firm grip. 

“You dance well,” you whispered softly, breaking the silence.

“I could say the same about you,” he hummed, his eyes affectionately locked on yours as you two transitioned into a slower dance. “Have you been practicing in secret? Or were you just naturally gifted?”

You gave a small laugh at his remark. “Actually…” You paused, shying away for a bit. “I’ve been attending dance lessons with Lady Furina these past few weeks.”

“Oh? Is that why you've been going back and forth to the surface?” 

“Mostly, yeah, since I agreed to return her favor,” you explained with a sheepish grin. “But she also roped me into helping compile some data for this event. I must thank you for offering me appointing an assistant to help with the job though. He really did his job well.”

“Wait, I thought he’s also coming to this event?” He stopped the slow dance momentarily, still holding you in his arms as he processed the new information.

“Antonio? No, he’s taking care of my duties today in the fortress, as I instructed him yesterday.”

Wriothesley went silent as everything seemed to click inside his mind, a chuckle escaping his lips, amused by his own thoughts. You looked at him in confusion, but he waved off your concern with a dismissive smile.

“Never mind, it’s not the time to dwell on petty things,” he said, his focus returning to you. “I don’t want to spoil the moment dancing with you tonight.”

You stared at him for a second, before nodding in agreement, letting go of any lingering questions inside you as you both resumed your dance under the enchanting moonlight. It felt like you were dancing without a care in the world, lost in each other’s embrace.

As the song reached its conclusion, you both stopped gracefully, locked in a gaze neither of you wanted to break. A warm smile played on your lips as you looked into his eyes, feeling the warmth of his gaze that he returned to you.

In that fleeting moment, as the night air wrapped around you like a gentle caress, there was a subtle shift in the atmosphere. His eyes began to flicker between your lips and your eyes. You were ready to surrender yourself into the silent invitation as you slowly leaned forwards, feeling his breath brush against your skin as your noses almost touching.

Seeing you responded to his silent cue, a faint smile tugged at the corners of Wriothesley's lips as he too began to close the gap between you, inching closer. Finally, his lips met yours as he kissed you gently, sealing the moment carefully with a tender embrace.

Despite your racing heartbeat, you melted into his soft kiss, feeling his hand cupping your cheek gently that made your heart flutter. As the air around you seemed to grow warmer with the intensity of the moment, you pulled back slightly, needing a moment to catch your breath. Your cheeks flushed with a rosy hue as you met his gaze with half-lidded eyes, the heat of the moment still lingering between you.

He leaned in closer, as if to pull you into another kiss, but then abruptly halted, his body rigid as his eyes widened slightly. He then quickly turned his head to the side facing the bushes, while his hand remained protectively on your waist.

“Who’s there?” he asked, his voice a bit demanding.

Slowly, a small figure behind starting to emerge behind the bushes, revealing Sigewinne who slowly tiptoed out.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Your Grace, I thought I was hiding well,” she said with a sheepish smile. “I didn’t want to bother, so I waited.”

Wriothesley immediately released his hand from your waist, bringing it to his face to hide his embarrassment. “Ah, it’s you…, what brings you here?”

“Monsieur Neuvillette was searching for you, and I happened to spot you here,” she explained, her tone light and playful. 

Wriothesley let out an exasperated sigh, his hand falling to his side. “Right.”

Then, Sigewinne glanced at you with a mischievous gleam in her eye. “Looks like your jealousy was a tad unnecessary, Your Grace,” she teased.

“Huh, where did that come from?” Wriothesley responded with a bemused expression.

You stood there, momentarily stunned, before Sigewinne’s words finally sank in. “…Jealous? Of whom?” you asked, glancing between them in confusion, before it dawned on you as you recalled your lingering questions from your mind.

Wait…could it be? 

A smile tugged at the corners of your lips as Sigewinne continued, “Ah, you see, this big man was actually jealous that new assis–”

“Ugh, spare me…” Wriothesley groaned, turning to walk away, not wanting to hear the rest of Sigewinne’s teasing. You laughed softly as you followed behind with Sigewinne as she started to explain her observationsfrom the past few weeks.

As you walked, you caught Wriothesley stealing a glance back at the two of you, a playful smirk tugged on his lips. It seemed like he was content with how things had turned out.

And so, the rest of the night unfolded with cheers and laughter, with everyone by your side. Despite the lingering feeling of a certain unfinished business, you couldn't wipe the smile from your face for the entire night.

After all, you now know that the feelings were mutual, right?

HAPPY (late, sorry 😭) BDAY MY BOY

i just noticed I forgot his earring 🥲

Just wanted to share this (pretty heehhe) dabi I drew in class (so damn proud about this one)