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“Wriothesley, wait,” Neuvillette whispered, leaning away from Wriothesley, whose face was perfectly illuminated in the dim light of the warden’s office. Neuvillette couldn’t help but look up at him, catching a crestfallen look before it was sealed away behind a mask of indifference.
“Sorry,” Wriothesley murmured, pulling away. “I didn’t mean—I’m sorry if I went too fast. I thought—”
“It is not that,” Neuvillette responded quickly. “I…I have kept a secret from you, from the nation, for too long. I fear that you cannot truly love me while I harbor this secret.”
“Sweetness, whatever it is, I don’t care. I’ll love you no matter what.” Wriothesley took Neuvillette’s gloved hand in his own. “Whatever this secret is, you can trust me with it. I promise.”
Neuvillette let out a shuddering sigh, turning his gaze towards his hand, gently intertwined with Wriothesley’s. “I am sure you have heard that chant that children sing when it rains. You must know the story about the Hydro Dragon.”
Neuvillette raised his gaze, allowing his true form to seep into his human guise. He felt the small pinpricks of scales as they appeared on his face, dusting his cheeks with a myriad of cerulean tones. He watched as the expression on Wriothesley’s face morphed from confusion to curiosity, and finally to a gentle smile, ripe with an understanding deeper than the sea.
“It’s you,” Wriothesley realized. “You’re the dragon from those stories, yeah?”
Neuvillette nodded, guiding Wriothesley’s hand up to rest upon the cascade of scales. Wriothesley’s smile grew as he brushed his thumb over Neuvillette’s cheek, marveling at the smooth transition from skin to scales. Neuvillette found himself leaning into the touch, realizing how long it had been since he had felt a touch so tender.
“I stand by what I said,” Wriothesley whispered, breaking the soft moment of silence. “I’ll love you no matter what, and your secret is safe with me.”
“That truly means the world to me, Wriothesley. Now…I believe we left something unfinished, yes?”
“We sure did.”
Wriothesley leaned in, pausing just before his lips could brush against Neuvillette’s. He hovered there for a moment, until Neuvillette finally closed the distance, capturing him in a kiss as profound as the deepest reaches of the ocean.