Wriothesley's POV
"This is where you wanted to take me?" I could barely hold back a laugh.
We were in his house.
"I thought you would drag me to the middle of nowhere or something. Or was this your plan all along? To drag me to your bed instead."
There was a dismissive grunt but nothing else. He kept his face buried between my neck and shoulder.
Sigh...
My stupid little dragon.
"Neuvillette-"
"What happened down there?" He asked suddenly, interrupting my words.
I was a bit surprised that he actually spoke since he hadn't said a thing since I agreed to his request.
That and...
I glanced out the window to see possibly one of the biggest storms Fontaine ever experienced.
I don't think telling him more than he already knows is a good idea.
"Neuv-"
"Tell me. I would rather not go find out myself."
Fair enough.
If he does find out in the state he is in right now, I would rather be around for it.
Sigh...
"After you left..."
__
Splash!
I closed my eyes on reflex, expecting to be hit in the face with cold water, but even after the sound of water hitting something had sounded, I didn't feel a thing.
Did he miss?
No way.
It was way too close for him to miss.
As I opened my eyes, I was met with the gaze of a terrified man.
"How- How is that- He said- He said the Iudex was the hydro-"
His words caught off as he collapsed.
What the hell?
Did he pass out from fright?
I was just about to go and check when I saw movement from the corner of my eye.
Huh?
I looked down to see a circle of water around me.
Primordial Seawater.
It was as if it had been pushed away from me by a forcefield.
Is this Neuvillette's doing?
I couldn't think of any other reason, but Neuvillette would have surely told me if he had found a solution to his biggest worry.
I crouched down and there it was.
The water moved once more, retreating away from me.
Curiosity got the better of me as I extended my finger closer to the water. Sure enough, it retreated once again.
Well, isn't this convenient?
I was tempted to try how far I could push this when the water all suddenly gathered in one place before flowing back into the bottle the guy had dropped at some point.
Pfft!
Like a kid trying to escape punishment.
"Did Neuvillette scold you or something?" I couldn't help but ask teasingly.
Surprisingly, the bottle of Primordial Seawater shook at my words.
...
Nah...
Neuvillette wouldn't have gone and threatened the Primordial Sea, right?
That's a bit too crazy for my brain to handle.
Putting that aside...
After I checked the guy thoroughly, it was clear that he had died.
Did he get so scared that he died?
Just before he died...
He said something about Neuvillette being the hydro something.
Did these bastards know about him being the hydro dragon? Or was this about that theory stating that Neuvillette may be the true hydro archon?
I should tell Neuv about this next time I see him. It wouldn't be good if it came to the day of the trial only for these idiots to blabber out some unexpected nonsense. Or not nonsense, in the worst-case scenario.
Tsk!
Annoying bastards!
Bothering my peaceful life left and right.
"Now I even have to clean up after you."
As soon as I spoke those words I heard a soft crack.
Another.
And then another.
My head shot up just in time for me to see the seal on the Primordial Sea shatter as a giant wave rose up.
F*ck!
The doors were still broken and there was no way for me to get upstairs fast enough with either the elevator or the stairs.
Hahaha...
I'm screwed.
Is it too much to ask for that to avoid me too?
___
"I'm guessing the wave avoided you in the end." Neuvilltte asked.
"Yeah."
It was weird.
Weird but terrifying.
"And it just retreated after about half a minute."
"It also resealed itself." He added.
Huh?
It did?
I might have been a bit too out of it to notice.
"So... Did you threaten the Primordial Sea?" I asked jokingly.
"No. Wait. Let me ask that useless bastard if he had anything to do with this."
He called his other half a useless bastard again...
He does know that he's pretty much cursing at himself, right?
There was a short silence before he spoke again.
"He doesn't know anything either."
Hmm...
"That's-"
Suddenly I felt Neuvillette's arms tighten around me even more.
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault."
"But it is! If I didn't fool around and just got rid of that thing like the rest of them this wouldn't have happened! I put you in danger!"
"Neuv-"
"I left that bastard alive, down there with you! What if the water didn't avoid you?! Or what would have happened if he decided to shoot you instead?! Even the seal had broken!"
In this position, I couldn't see his face, but the slowly growing wet patch on my shoulder and the worsening storm outside said enough.
"I really am completely useless." He muttered.
And that was quite a bit farther than I would have liked his mind to wander.
"You are not useless."
"I am. I'm useless as your mate. I'm of no use as a father. Even as Iudex I have been nothing but worthless lately. Just today, I abandoned my duties and yet I was late for everything. The children were frightened half to death, Claude is still unconscious from his injuries and I don't even have the faintest idea how you survived, let alone be there to protect you! Tell me, Wriothesley! How am I not useless?!"
That gave me a lot to take in.
The girls were frightened but most likely completely fine otherwise.
Claude is injured but alive.
And...
Neuvillette was at his limit.
"The girls are fine, are they not? Claude should be mostly alright as well, otherwise, you would be far more agitated. I'm completely fine as well. You can even stop worrying about the Primordial Seawater."
"It staying away from you this time does not make me any less worried." He grumbled.
"I touched it though and nothing happened-"
I stopped myself from finishing that sentence but it was already too late.
Shit.
I just screwed myself over.
I left that out of the story for a reason.
I wanted to talk about that at a later, less hectic moment.
And just as I expected, our positions quickly changed and now Neuvillette was towering over me, glaring down at me.
"You did what?!"
"It was an accident..."
It kind of was. I'm not lying.
I don't know what came over me when I stuck my finger into the giant wave that brushed past me.
That's when it started retreating back into its original place, actually.
"Like hell I'll believe you! What were you even thinking?!
"I wasn't exactly thinking about anything-"
"Wriothesley!"
Okay.
I deserve that.
He was fuming. Understandably so.
At least he wasn't crying anymore.
The urge to tease my little dragon rose within me when-
"You are hereby sentenced to two weeks of sleeping on the couch."
"W-What?"
Excuse me?
What did he just say?
I must have misheard-
"You're sleeping on the couch. Try to climb into bed and I'll go home to sleep."
Hey!
"Neuv... Neuv dear. Please don't do this..."
Just when I had gotten comfortable sleeping next to him too.
That's not fair!
My cuddles!
"The sentence is final." He said firmly.
Without giving me time to protest, he just grabbed me and teleported me downstairs to the couch in the living room. He gave me a blanket, pillow, and finally a small peck on the forehead before disappearing.
What the...
This...
This is totally unfair!
I want to cry!
I would much rather he beat me up!
You're far too cruel, Neuvillette!
And he said how long?
Two weeks?
Nothing even happened!
I'm completely fine!
I wriggled around in frustration for a while longer before exhaustion began to wash over me.
Stupid lizard...or snake...
Or whatever the hell he prefers!
Stupid dragon!
Unfair!
"Neuvillette... You son of a..."
"I'm quite sure I've told you many times over that that one is of no use." Neuvillette's soft voice sounded, but Wriothesley didn't hear it, already fast asleep.
The dragon leaned over the back of the couch, looking down on Wriothesley's sleeping face. He then walked around the couch, sitting down on the ground in front of it.
"The books the girls read are incredibly inaccurate."
He slowly linked his fingers with the warden's, making sure the other wouldn't wake up.
"I banished you to the couch as some characters in them did, but unlike them, here I am, sitting next to you on the ground. Truly an ineffective form of punishment."
A small bitter smile surfaced on the dragon's lips.
"After getting used to falling asleep to breathing and heartbeat, how could I do without you? I have become far too dependent on your presence to just have you away from me like this."
Quickly all the stress from the day began to catch up with the dragon as well, exhaustion hitting him.
He shifted slightly, laying his head down on the couch next to Wriothesley.
"I'll just... I'll leave before he wakes up..."