Archive of Our Own

Wakefulness hit Wriothesley with a jolt of alarm. He couldn’t breathe. Something heavy and hairy covered his face. There was no time to contemplate the strangeness of the situation. This wouldn’t be the first assassination attempt on the Duke of Meropide, but it would be the first to catch him unaware in his own quarters.

Wriothesley brought his knee up to dislodge his attacker, but met only air. The weapon of choice to smother him in his sleep hissed and sharp pain pricked several points on his face. Half-awake with only self-preservation instincts guiding his actions, Wriothesley reached up to grab a handful of… fur. He yanked a massive cat off his face as he heaved in a lungful of fresh air. In the dim light of his room, he locked eyes with the cat for a split second, then it yowled and swiped its claws at his hand.

“Fucking-” Wriothesley dropped the cat, bringing his stinging fingers to his mouth.

The cat hissed at him one last time before jumping off his bed and disappearing into the dark. How the fuck did it get in? Even more pressingly, where the fuck did it come from?

The tang of blood was short lived on his tongue, so the scratches weren’t deep enough for Wriothesley to attend to them. He squinted into the shadows of his room, but couldn’t spot any movement. Well, it wasn’t like the fucking cat was an assassin. There was no need to chase it.

With a jaw-cracking yawn, Wriothesley dropped down on his pillows and returned to the realm of dreams.

“So far, they’re not doing anything out of the ordinary,” the captain of Wriothesley’s guards concluded her report with.

Wriothesley frowned as he twirled his pen between his fingers. It simply made no sense how the House of the Hearth followed up their string of failed rats by sending in two famously exposed Fatui agents and a third who was guilty by association. Granted, it wasn’t a horrible plan considering Wriosthesley had a letter from the Chief Justice himself requesting that Wriothesley proceed with a clemency he hadn’t given previous Fatui spies. Lady Furina was apparently fond of the twins’ magic shows and would be rather disappointed if they never left Meropide… The strained relationship with Scheznaya since that Harbinger was arrested (and disappeared) also played a factor, but Neuvilette had led with Lady Furina so Wriothesley knew where his true priorities lay.

The House of the Hearth kids weren’t even asking about Tartalgalia, so what could possibly be their objective?

A yawn forced its way out, which Wriothesley sheepishly apologized for. He praised his captain for her work and excused her. Despite checking the locks on his doors before retiring for the night, Wriothesley was woken fighting to breathe every night this week by the damned cat. It wasn’t hard to surmise who the cat came with, considering the timing. Was the cat a convoluted assassination plot? Wriothesley wouldn’t put it past the Fatui to train killer cats, since kids weren’t off limits.

After a week of suffocation, Wriothesley’s sleep-addled brain stopped registering it as a threat. As he jolted awake due to a lack of air, Wriothesley instincts weren’t rearing for a fight. Instead, annoyance had him groaning and rolling onto his side. The minimal movement took the cat by surprise, because it too was always rearing to fight back. It hissed as it flopped off Wriothesley’s face, but didn’t take its claws out yet.

Wriothelsey cracked an eye open and stared the cat down. “I won’t kick you out if you don’t sleep on my face.”

The cat sat up and licked its paw, as if considering his offer. It stretched with a chirp, then curled up against Wriothesley’s neck. The softness of its fur tickled, but was much more comforting than when it was filling his airways. A smile tugged at the corner of Wriothesley’s lips as he reached up to give the cat a pet-

Claws raked across his fingers.

“Fine, no touching. Just invade my space and give nothing in return.” Wriothesley huffed and closed his eyes. The quiet rumble of purrs sent him off to sleep.

In the morning, he had a crick in his neck and the cat was gone.

Like every night since the first, Wriothesley woke unable to breathe through a faceful of fur. He was settled into a routine by this point and neither he nor the cat complained much as he rolled to his side and the cat nestled against his neck. Wriothesley almost went back to sleep as had become habit, but something tickled the back of his mind.

Right, Wriothesley antagonized the cat’s owners in a way that would create problems if they realized their cat was with him. Granted, they hadn’t done anything about the cat’s nightly disappearances, but surely after the events of the past 36 hours they would be on edge about someone in their family being out of sight.

If they even considered the cat part of their family. Wriothesley didn’t like giving Fatui the benefit of the doubt, but those kids seemed genuine enough. And Wriothesley would rather not be accused of kidnapping again. Sure, he played into it, but there was nothing to gain from such accusations now.

He was so fucking tired. Evacuating the fortress, holding back the fucking Primordial Sea, and then de-evacuating the inmates took it out of a guy, surprise, surprise. As much as he wanted to leave the cat be, he was a stupid bleeding heart. He wasn’t going to start regretting the tricks he played on the Fatui, but that didn’t mean he was comfortable potentially contributing to their distress.

“Cat, don’t maul me,” Wriothesley warned as he sat up and stretched with a deep yawn. “I’m not in the fucking mood and I’m doing your owners a favor, got it?”

The cat blinked up at him innocently. As if it hadn’t drawn blood multiple times, or, you know, smothered him on a nightly basis for the past couple of weeks. Rather than risk claws and teeth, Wriothesley slowly gathered the blanket edges around the cat. It watched with growing trepidation. Just as it clued in on his intentions and started to bolt, Wriothesley trapped it in the blanket and scooped it up in his arms.

It yowled and fought against its confines the entire walk down to the infirmary, where Sigewinne ordered the youngest to stay for an extra night after his rest was interrupted by the evacuation. Which meant the other two were undoubtedly there as well.

Several of Wriothesley’s guards stopped in their tracks to ogle at him marching through the halls barefoot and shirtless with a loud, squirming bundle in his arms, but Wriothesley was too tired to give a fuck. They would gossip amongst each other, but word wouldn’t reach the inmates about the Duke’s strange behavior.

“Alright you little shit, get back to your family and let me sleep in peace,” Wriothesley said once he reached the infirmary’s hall. He loosened his deathgrip on the cat and shook out the blanket to free it from its confines.

Instead of jumping down to the ground, the damned cat jumped up and used its claws to climb up the bare skin of his arm. Wriothesley hissed and tried to shake it off, but it perched itself on his shoulder and dug its claws deeper to stay seated.

“Fuck!”

Wriothesley struggled to dislodge the cat and finally got it pinned in his arms against his chest when someone came to investigate the noise outside the infirmary.

“Excuse me, my brother is resting and-” Lyney froze as he rounded the corner and saw who was making such a ruckus. “Oh- Your Grace, apologies. I didn’t- Rosseland?!”

“So that’s your name, you little shit?” Wriothesley said, looking down at the damned cat with a scowl. It had the gall to look up at him and meow sweetly, like the blood dripping down Wriothesley’s shoulder wasn’t its doing.

“Pardon, Your Grace, but why are you here in-” Lyney’s expression was torn between disgust and poorly disguised interest as he looked Wriothesley down from head to toe. That look and the disdainful way Lyney said Wriothesley’s title sent a rush of heat coursing through Wriothesley that he did not have the energy to acknowledge right now. “-such a state with my cat?”

Wriothesley raised an eyebrow. “I believe I’d be more justified in asking why your cat is here in the first place. Prison is hardly the place for pets, or children, particularly so when you don’t keep your eyes on them.”

A similar fury to yesterday’s standoff flashed in Lyney’s eyes, but a bright smile filled his face. It was frighteningly believable. If Wriothesley hadn’t witnessed what Lyney’s anger looked like, he could have missed that glimpse just now.

“How gracious I am that the Duke of Meropide is such a stalwart protector of his inmates. You’d find we’re of the same mindset, you see. For I certainly didn’t choose to bring Rosseland with us to serve our unjust sentence.” Lyney’s smile fell away as his eyes narrowed. “Just as I’m sure he hasn’t chosen to be strangled by you. Let that poor cat go, Your Grace. Have you ever handled a small animal before?”

Rather than attempt to defend himself, Wriothesley opened his arms and attempted to drop the cat. Rosseland remained just as insistent he stay on Wriothesley even with his owner present, clinging to Wriothesley’s arms, then leaping up to perch on his shoulder again. When Wriothesely didn’t try to shake him off, Rosseland retracted his claws and proceeded to nuzzle his face with a loud, rumbling purr.

Lyney wasn’t the only one shocked with this development, but Wriothesley at least had the build up to this point. It made sense that the cat liked him, despite its frequent scratches and refusal to be petted. Curious, Wriothesley reached up and Rosseland didn’t stop him from scratching under his chin. The purrs grew louder.

Warmth bubbled in Wriothesley’s chest. He’d never properly dealt with a cat before this one, and certainly never had one purr from his touch. It was overwhelmingly cute… But now wasn't the time to get emotional over things like that. Wriothesley smirked at Lyney’s slack-jawed shock, which had him quickly covering it up with a petulant glare.

“Rosseland has actually been a nightly visitor of mine since you all first arrived. To be honest, I thought he might be an assassination attempt, because he insisted on waking me up by smothering me. We’ve come to an understanding, but tonight seems like a poor time for him to be absent.”

It was interesting watching how masterfully Lyney masked his reactions to Wriothesley’s words. A brief flinch wiped away his glare, but it was quickly replaced by an easy smile. The slightest pinch in the corner of Lyney’s eyes gave away his distaste as he said, “That’s very thoughtful of you, Your Grace. I appreciate it.”

Well, the disdainful way he said ‘Your Grace’ did more than anything else to give away the act. Wriothesley couldn’t help but wonder if that was an intentional slip; Lyney’s way of informing Wriothesley he wasn’t worth a complete act. It was a poor insult, since Wriothesley only found it amusing.

“Now, Rosseland. You’ve bothered the Duke enough. It’s been a  long  two days and we all need rest. I’m sure Freminet would enjoy some snuggles while he’s recovering.”

As much as Wriothesley wanted to tease the kid for trying to reason with a cat, it seemed like Rosseland actually understood the words and was contemplating his options. Rosseland butted his head against Wriothesley’s jaw until he turned his head down toward him. A question was on his lips but it was quickly forgotten as Rosseland bit his nose before leaping off his shoulder and into Lyney’s waiting arms.

Wriothesley’s loud curse almost drowned out gleeful snickers, and when he glared at the shitty cat’s equally little shit of an owner, Lyney didn’t bother trying to hide his delight.

“Oh, my deepest, most sincere apologies, Your Grace. I will properly scold him for daring to harm our most gracious savior. And not to worry, we’ll be out of your hair soon.” Lyney smiled brightly as he turned on his heels. “I have a feeling the Gardes will realize in the coming day that they arrested us on bogus charges!”

Wriothesley glared after the horrible pair, holding his smarting nose. Good fucking riddance.

It was still strange getting used to the Court of Fontaine’s noise, even a week after leaving the Fortress of Meropide. The eerie, echoing silence of the fortress had reminded Freminet of being underwater, and despite everything, he almost missed the rusty halls… Not that he had any intention of returning, of course, but it was hard to get their time in Meropide out of his mind while he was still in debt to their saviors.

The timing of their charges getting dropped and subsequent release couldn’t have been better. Leschots Clockwork Shop had a bi-annual sale of spare parts, which Freminet frequented religiously since they opened. He would have been extremely disappointed if he missed it, particularly so because he needed to make something to show his gratitude to Clorinde for saving him. She insisted that she didn't need repayment, but it felt wrong to call his life debt settled with a simple ‘thank you.’

Freminet frowned at the boxes of parts scattered outside the workshop’s storefront, propping his chin in his hand as his brain turned over endless ideas that didn’t feel right to give Fontaine’s Champion Duelist. At least he had some clues to help him thanks to the amount of newspaper articles there were about her. Meanwhile, he had no idea as to what he could make to thank the Duke of Meropide…

Lyney would tell him not to bother. In fact, if Lyney knew that Freminet was contemplating how to thank the Duke, it would set him off on yet another rant about the man. Just as Freminet had their time in Meropide weighing on his mind, so did Lyney. He was a bit more vocal about it, going off at least once a day about how much he hated the Duke…

While Freminet understood Lyney’s upset over Wriothesley’s tactics, at the end of the day, he had been directly responsible for Freminet’s rescue. If he hadn’t called Clorinde down, hadn’t prevented Lyney from chasing after him… Well, things would have turned out far worse than they had.

But what could Freminet possibly make? He heard all about those impressive gauntlets! Wriothesley would probably scoff at any silly trinkets Freminet made in gratitude…

“Meow~”

Freminet startled, his elbow slipping off his knee as he lost his balance in his squat. “Rosseland? What are you doing here-”

A pair of boots walked up behind Rosseland, accompanied by a bemused sigh. Freminet slowly followed the boots up to stare in complete shock at the very man he’d been thinking about.

“Y-Your Grace!” Freminet yelped, jumping to his feet. He started to bow, but that felt ridiculous. Should he extend his hand for a shake? No, that was too casual, wasn’t it? Maybe a bow was the appropriate greeting in this case-

Wriothesley laughed lightly and waved his hand dismissively. “We’re not in the Fortress right now. Just call me Wriothesley.”

“Uh- Well, um- If you insist, sir- Wriothe- Mr. Wriothesley, what brings you to the city?”

Freminet’s pulse rushed past his ears as his heart thudded frantically in his chest. Had he done something to prompt Wriothesley to seek him out? But wait, why was Rosseland with him-

“Relax, kid. I just had a few errands to run, and got intercepted by this guy.” Wriothesley nodded down to Rosseland. At the acknowledgement, Rosseland meowed and started grooming himself, looking very smug. Wriothesley snorted and shook his head. “He’s been accompanying me, but suddenly insisted we stop here. The reason is quite obvious, now.”

When Lyney mentioned offhand how Rosseland had been running off to harass the Duke, he certainly downplayed how much Rosseland had imprinted on the man. Once Rosseland decided he liked something, he could not be kept away from it, as the struggles with Lyney’s top hat had taught them.

“I’m really sorry about Rosseland, sir, I hope he wasn’t too much trouble!”

Again, Wriothesley brushed him off with an easy laugh. “Nah, he was fine. Suppose he’s ready to be passed off to his family now, though. Nice seeing you looking well, Freminet. Thanks for keeping me company, Rosseland. See you all around-”

As he spoke his parting words, Wriothesley started turning away to continue with his business. He was only able to take a single step before Rosseland yowled and pounced on Wriothesley’s boot. For a moment, Freminet’s heart surged into his throat as his mind jumped to the worst possible scenario where the man kicked Rosseland away and Freminet would have to fight the Duke of Meropide in the middle of the street and-

Wriothesley’s shoulders sagged as he let out a defeated sigh. He slowly turned around to face Freminet, careful not to accidentally step on Rosseland as he moved. “Well, I suppose there’s worse places to be held up in. I could go for some things to tinker with… What are you shopping for?”

“Uh- I-” Freminet’s mind was blank as relief and guilt consumed him. There had been no reason for him to expect such a cruel action from Wriothesley! Why would his brain go there? Honestly, he’d done nothing worth such suspicions, no matter how much Lyney disparaged him.

Shaking off the thoughts constricting his voice, Freminet lowered his gaze and blurted out, “I want to make Clorinde something as a thank you present for saving my life- And- Um- I want to express my gratitude to you as well…”

“Me?” Wriothesley huffed out a short laugh. “I think your brother would disagree with the sentiment.”

Heat filled Freminet’s cheeks, and words failed him again. It wasn’t like Wriothesley was wrong. But it was rude to not deny it, right? Even if it was a lie…

“But, anyways, don’t worry about it, kid.” A big, strong hand gently ruffled Freminet’s hair, making his cheeks burn hotter. “I have a few ideas of things Clorinde might like, if you’re short on ideas of your own.”

“I-I- uh would appreciate that, yes. Thank you. I’ve been struggling to think of something she wouldn’t just throw away…”

“She might not look it, but Clorinde is the sentimental type. She’ll like any present you give her, especially if it’s handmade. I take it you work with clockwork pieces often?”

Time escaped Freminet, as did his anxieties, as he and Wriothesley discussed their inventions. Despite the impressive craftsmanship of his gauntlets, Wriothesley was still fascinated by Pers and Freminet’s other designs. At one point Livre came out to join them, laying on thick praise about the commissions he’d gotten from Freminet in the past. Wriothesley kindly diverted the conversation when he saw how uncomfortable Freminet was with the attention.

The entire time, Rosseland wound himself around Wriothesley’s legs and demanded the occasional pet. Wriothesley was careful of the cat underfoot, and indulgently reached down to give him the demanded attention as if it were no trouble at all. No wonder Rosseland liked him so much; he spoiled him worse than Lyney did.

Eventually, they both had heavy shopping bags of clockwork pieces and the sun was starting to make its descent from the sky.

“Oh- I didn’t realize it’s gotten so late. I’m sorry, did you have many more errands? I hope I didn’t take up too much of your time-”

A compainable pat on the back cut Freminet’s apologies short. “Don’t fret about it, kid. I was basically done before the little shit dragged me over. And it was a good use of time. It isn’t often I can chat about this stuff beyond the realm of work. Thanks for entertaining me.”

“No, no, thank you! I think I’ll be able to make a suitable gift for Clorinde now thanks to you.” And for Wriothesley as well, but Freminet was going to keep that to himself.

Wriothesley grinned. “Just don’t forget—she’ll like anything you make. So don’t work yourself up worrying about that, alright?”

“Y-yeah. I won’t.” Freminet ducked his head, hoping his bangs would hide his blush. How embarrassing that after such a short amount of time, Wriothesley already had a complete read on him. He was so incredibly nice about it as well. Too bad Lyney’s mind wouldn’t be changed in favor of the man… He was worse than Rosseland once he was set on something…

“Let me know next time there’s a sale like this. I could do with more hobbies, honestly.” With a two-fingered salute, Wriothesley started down the street. Rosseland didn’t try to stop him this time.

No, instead, Rosseland ran after him and leaped on his back, easily climbing Wriothesley’s thick coat to perch on his shoulder. Wriothesley sighed heavily and turned to Freminet, gesturing to Rosseland with a helpless expression.

Freminet bit back a laugh and shrugged. “It seems Rosseland missed you. If he’s too much trouble, I can drag him home, but… If you don’t mind his company… Perhaps he could visit you? You can bring him back next time you have business in the city?”

Wriothelsey’s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly shook his head. “I don’t know when I’ll next be in the overworld. It’d be cruel to keep him down there out of the sun again after he just got out.”

There was no suppressing his laughter now. Freminet covered his mouth with his hand as his shoulders shook with his amusement. “Cruel? Hardly! Rosseland had the time of his life hunting all the rats down there! You really don’t have any other cats? How are you not overrun by rodents?”

“Hm, haven’t thought of that before…” Wriothesley trailed off thoughtfully, but snapped back to attention with a wry smile. “That aside, I’d rather not have your brother accusing me of kidnapping your cat.”

Oh. Lyney would do that, wouldn’t he…

“Well, I’ll take the fall for you. I’ll make sure he knows I insisted.”

Wriothesley tilted his head to make eye contact with Rosseland, who meowed in his face. “You’re more trouble than your cuteness makes up for, little shit. Will you fight me if I try to ditch you?” His sudden wince probably meant Rosseland dug his claws into his shoulder.

“Alright, guess you’re getting a luxury vacation to the fortress.” Wriothesley snorted and rolled his eyes. He shot Freminet a wink and a wave, finally able to leave and go home, now with Rosseland in tow.

Freminet watched them depart, biting back a goofy grin. He never would have guessed the Duke of Meropide to be like this in his off hours… Maybe he really could trust Wriothesley’s judgment that the Champion Duelist was just as laid back in her off hours…

Before he could lock himself away in his workshop, Freminet needed to hold true to his word and inform Lyney about Rosseland’s impromptu trip.

“Sir, there’s someone… Requesting permission to come down for business with you? Did you have an appointment?”

Wriothesley looked up from his paperwork, absentmindedly continuing to pet the cat in his lap as he addressed his guard. “Not that I’m aware of. Who’s my caller?”

The guard took a moment to register the question, distracted by Rosseland’s loud purrs. He blinked and stood to attention. “A former inmate, Your Grace. The magician, Lyney.”

It seemed Freminet could only hold his brother back for a day. Hopefully he at least was able to convince Lyney that Wriothesley had no ulterior motives in borrowing Rosseland. If anything, the cat was the one with the motives!

“It wasn’t scheduled, but it’s not an unexpected visit. Go ahead and grant him entry.” He started to dismiss his employee when a thought struck him. It was a complete whim, and he may come to regret it but… “Actually, put him on my approved visitors list while you’re at it.”

Although the guard was visibly shocked, he was professional enough not to voice it. He nodded and took his leave to fulfill his tasks.

“Well, Rosseland, how furious do you think your owner is going to be with us?”

The cat ignored him, content to continue purring in his sleep. How nice it must be to have so little regard for the consequences of one’s action…

In the time it took for the guard to return to the processing area and for Lyney to get to his office, Wriothesley finished the production reports for the week and had a letter from the Knave out on his desk. At the very least, he might be able to iron out some details without exchanging five more letters with the woman. She was infuriating in her refusal to meet with him in person. If it weren’t for the clearly genuine desire to collaborate to help the people of Fontaine, Wriothesley would have cut negotiations by now.

The sound of Wriothesley’s obnoxiously large office doors slamming open signaled the entrance of someone inexperienced with them. Since the element of surprise was gone, Wriothesley’s guest elected to stomp his way up the stairs, making his mood more than clear before Wriothesley set eyes on him.

Lyney reached the second level and stopped on the top step, nose scrunching and lips pursing at the sight waiting for him. He put his hands on his hips and didn’t acknowledge Wriothesley. “Rosseland! Come here right now! We’re going home.”

“I don’t think-”

Once again ignored, Lyney spoke over Wriothesley, calling Rosseland’s name as he stepped further into the office. As soon as he was standing across Wriothesley’s desk, Rosseland popped his head up and meowed in greeting, as if he hadn’t heard Lyney’s loud demands.

“Get up. We’re going home, mister.”

Rosseland blinked slowly, his tail swishing sharply. He meowed in a way that could only be called dismissive and laid his head down in Wriothesley’s lap again. Rumbling purrs immediately resumed, making Rosseland’s opinion about leaving quite clear.

There was no masking the shocked betrayal on Lyney’s face. Wriothesley almost felt bad for the guy. He hadn’t come storming in accusing Wriothesley of anything—so he’d accepted Freminet’s explanation of the situation—but he clearly hadn’t expected Rosseland to choose not to leave as soon as he arrived.

“Seems you might be here for a while, unless you’re in the mood to fight Rosseland to drag him home.”

Lyney finally acknowledged Wriothesley’s presence, meeting his eyes with a fiery frown. “No, I won’t begrudge his poor choice of company if it pleases him so. I will come back for him later.”

“Now, that’s just a waste of everyone’s time. Pull up a chair.” Wriothesley held up the Knave’s letter with a grin. “Since you’re here, we might as well discuss the collaboration your dear ‘Father’ has been slow to iron out with me.”

“She’s mentioned you’ve opened communication…” Lyney sighed deeply, his sense of responsibility clearly winning out over his distaste of Wriothesley. Instead of pulling up a chair as Wriothesley requested, Lyney hopped up to sit on his desk, uncaring about the other documents he plopped his ass on. “Very well. What is it you need help understanding?”

Wriothesley bit back a snort. Which one was the obnoxious cat? The one sitting nicely in his lap or the one treating his desk like his personal throne? Perhaps that was a trick question; they both were.

“For starters, the Knave is reluctant to properly explain these  ‘magic pockets’  of yours-”

The warmth of the sun draped over Lynette and her audience of stray cats like a blanket. A few had curled up post-snack to sleep in the sunlight. Lynette had half a mind to join them… But that could easily lead to someone snapping a picture of her which would lead to it on the front page of the Steambird and then Lyney would know. The lecture would not be worth the bliss of a nap with her new friends.

Squatted at the mouth of an alleyway as she was, there was plenty of foot traffic behind her. So Lynette initially did not pay much mind to the heavy, jingling footsteps approaching her. Only when they stopped and she felt the displacement of air at her back did Lynette pause in doting on the stray cats. She was ready to jump up and fight if need be, but the deep, amused voice had her lowering her defenses and glancing over her shoulder lazily.

“Aren’t your hands full enough with this one?”

Even if she didn’t recognize his voice, the scent of metal and the sea paired with the clank of an excessive amount of buckles and chains made it obvious even without her sight as to who was interrupting her. What Lynette was not expecting, however, was for the Duke of Meropide to have Rosseland sitting on top of his head.

Both Lyney and Freminet spoke of Rosseland’s fondness for Wriothesley, but neither of them did justice in preparing Lynette for how adorable the sight would be. Here was this hulking, intimidating man with a sweet, albeit massive, cat balancing on his head as if he belonged there. Rosseland was heavy, so Wriothesley had to be making the effort to keep his head steady for Rosseland to sit on his preferred seat.

Rosseland was very proud of himself. He meowed smugly at the strays begging for scraps of food and attention while he had a Duke as his personal chauffeur.

“I believe my hands are quite free,” Lynette said with a stern look at Rosseland. He could be as pleased with himself as he wanted, but it wasn’t good of him to brag to the less fortunate.

With a put-upon meow, Rosseland started grooming himself. The movement didn’t seem to bother Wriothesley in the slightest. He laughed and gestured to Rosseland, uncaring of the weight on his head.

“You know what I mean. Seems like you all can’t keep tabs on this one.”

Lynette scattered her remaining offering to the gathered cats, then stood to have a proper conversation. “Rosseland is a big boy. He can choose who he wants to spend his time with. I presume he intercepted you as he did last time you came to the city?”

“Sure he’s just a cat? I swear I stepped foot off the aquabus and he was already underfoot.”

“Just because  you  underestimate the intelligence of cats, it doesn’t mean there’s something supernatural occurring.”

Wriothesley’s laughter was hard enough to annoy Rosseland from his throne. He meowed petulantly as he jumped down to Wriothesley’s shoulder instead, and lightly smacked his face with his paw.

“Apologies, your highness,” Wriothesley said, reaching up to scratch under Rosseland’s chin with a painfully soft expression.

Freminet may have been remiss to inform Lynette of how adorable the pair were, but he had not been exaggerating when he said Wriothesley was wrapped around Rosseland’s finger… Or well, claw. If only Lyney got over his wounded pride, he would realize how similar he and the Duke were.

“Anyways, I’m glad I ran into you. I’m done with my errands today and need to be heading back.” Wriothesley’s smile twisted wryly. “And I don’t think your brother would appreciate me taking Rosseland for another field trip.”

On the contrary, Lynette suspected Lyney would rather like the excuse to invade Wriothesley’s office again. After he retrieved Rosseland last week, his daily rants about Wriothesley were a little less heated. And he took over prophecy evacuation negotiations without a complaint. Not that Lyney would openly whine about an assignment to Father, but even after she passed the task off to him, Lyney hadn’t breathed a word of discontent to Lynette nor Freminet…

“Rosseland, are you ready to come home with me?” Lynette asked with a suspicion as to what the answer would be.

Sure enough, Rosseland meowed in the negative and aggressively rubbed his head against Wriothesley’s jaw. It had been a week since he last saw his new favorite person. While Lynette was happy to send Wriothesley on his way with Rosseland in tow, it would be troublesome when Lyney learned she didn’t make an attempt to bring Rosseland home… And, she was a little curious after Freminet gushed to her (in private, behind closed doors when he was certain Lyney was out of the house) about his encounter with Wriothesley.

“Perhaps Rosseland will be more receptive to parting if you spend a little more time with him. Do you have pressing matters to attend to back in the fortress?” Lynette’s tail swayed, already excited at the mere thought of her suggestion. “I’ve heard you enjoy the finer things in life. Would you like to join me for afternoon tea? Consider it my thanks for not killing us despite it being the more troublesome option.”

Her joke didn’t quite land. Wriothesley’s laugh was forced and he shifted his weight the slightest bit away from her in discomfort. “Well, the Iudex personally requested that I make the effort since Lady Furina is a fan.”

Lynette’s ears perked up as her expression remained unchanged. That was an interesting tidbit. Despite the court’s insistence that the Fortress of Meropide was an independent system, there was still an influence thanks to the personal relationship between Wriothesley and the Chief Justice… And that Lady Furina was enough of a fan for Monsieur Neuvillette to make such a request. Lyney’s ego might get too big if he ever learned of this.

“All the same, it only seems right that Freminet is not the only one to express gratitude.” Lynette fearlessly linked arms with the hulking figure of the Duke of Meropide and led him away to Hotel Debord, throwing a farewell to the neighborhood cats over her shoulder.

The rumors turned out to be true, and Wriothesley truly did enjoy a proper tea service. Despite his initial discomfort being seated in the brightly lit extravagance of Hotel Debord, he was soon at ease with a strong, black tea. He was delightful company, more than capable of engaging in a conversation about their favorite tea blends as well as sitting in silence and enjoying their treats. Wriothesley did not have much of a sweet tooth and mostly picked at the small sandwiches that came with their set, which only elevated him in Lynette’s opinion as he encouraged her to eat his share of cookies and cakes.

Through it all, Rosseland was not once ignored. He received pets when requested and was accommodated for wherever he decided he wanted to sit on Wriothesley. The spoiled thing even got his own treats when Wriothesley sheepishly asked their waitress if the kitchen had any unseasoned chicken or fish. No one wanted to deny the Duke of Meropide anything, so infrequent were his public appearances. No one protested the cat at their table and the waitress came back with a small plate of chicken and fish. Rosseland basked in the benefits of Wriothesley’s renown.

As their tea reached its natural conclusion (with everything eaten and only the final sips of tea remaining), Wriothesley broke their companionable silence. “Sorry if this comes off as rude, but I’m still pretty surprised by how you and Freminet are acting about the whole, y’know.” He waved his hand in the air to encapsulate him, technically, holding them hostage to force Lyney’s, and thus Father’s, hand. “I figured as the leader of your little group, Lyney’s opinion on the state of things would have more weight.”

Lynette’s tail swished agitatedly as she frowned. “Lyney may be the leader, but don’t mistake that to mean we mindlessly follow him. I love my brother dearly, but he’s not perfect. He can be wrong, and we can have opinions of our own.”

“Alright, alright, don’t have to bite my head off,” Wriothesley said, hands raised in surrender as if Lynette had raised her voice at him. She might as well have, so she respected his understanding of her mood. “But, I suppose, then, it wouldn’t be pointless for me to ask if you can exert your influence on him? He’s cute and all with that hair-trigger temper, but the grudge is getting old fast, especially if I’m going to continue working with the House of the Hearth.”

Cute was he? That was even more interesting than the knowledge of Lady Furina being their fan. Lynette hid her grin behind her teacup. “Oh, he’s not holding a grudge about the whole kidnapping business. We all know that we would have not been as kind as you were if our roles had been reversed. No, he has a grudge against you because of his wounded pride.”

“Seriously? He doesn’t seem the type to be hung up on something like that.”

“In truth, my brother’s greatest flaw is his pride.” What delightful timing for Wriothesley to go for another sip of tea. Lynette smiled innocently as she clarified, “But he’s particularly wounded in this case because he was bested by someone he wants to fuck.”

Wriothesley spluttered and his mouthful of tea covered his chin and lap, to Rosseland’s displeasure. As Wriothesley scrambled to clean himself and Rosseland up, he shot Lynette an icy glare. Only her twitching ears and swaying tail gave her away, no matter how much she wanted to laugh. She was much better at masking her emotions than Lyney was.

“You’re messing with me. There’s no way he’s said that,” Wriothesley said.

“Of course he didn’t.” Lynette let her words hang long enough for Wriothesley to relax thinking that was all she had to say. Her tail flicked humorously. “He would never use such crude language around me. But he’s very descriptive about which features of yours that he absolutely cannot stand. Your ‘stupid thick neck,’ ‘absurd biceps,’ ‘horrible stubble, does he do that on purpose?’ And of course, ‘those pants just painted on. Is he trying to draw everyone’s attention to what he’s packing?!’ There’s more, but I have a feeling you’d rather I stop here.”

With every impeccable Lyney impression, Wriothesley’s cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red. He was making a valiant effort to pretend he wasn’t blushing like an innocent teenager, but no amount of ‘horrible stubble’ could hide how flustered he was. It was quite adorable. Her brother was going to eat this man up if he ever got over himself.

“On that note, I’ll take my leave now.” Lynette stood and gave Wriothesley a thumbs up. “I’ll send Lyney tomorrow to pick up Rosseland. You got this.”

As she left, Wriothesley groaned to Rosseland, “It’s a miracle you’re not worse with those two as your examples.”

This was so demeaning. If not for Lynette’s insistence that, no, she wasn’t mad at him, Lyney would think this was some sort of punishment. But, the reality was, they were all too indulgent toward Rosseland. No other cat in existence would be getting escorted to and from the Fortress of Meropide just because he liked the warden. Horrible, taste, honestly. Lyney was so disappointed in Rosseland. He thought they raised him better than that! So what if Wriothesley was ridiculously built and probably gave amazing head scratches, really who knew what other wonderful uses those thick, scarred fingers might have-

Regardless, poor taste. Very poor taste. And now Lyney had to drag himself all the way down to the Duke’s office yet again to pick up his spoiled rotten cat. Just how long was he going to be stuck waiting at the front desk this time? He had half a mind to sneak in, but they were trying to be civil in their collaboration preparing for the prophecy…

“Hello, dear Marette, wonderful to see you again,” Lyney said as he leaned against the receptionist’s desk. They had gotten well acquainted in his last visit as he waited for approval to enter the damned fortress.

Marette blinked the drowsiness out of her eyes and instantly lit up as she recognized him. “Oh, Lyney! How nice to see you again! Do you have another appointment with His Grace?”

“Yes, indeed. A bit last second, I'm afraid. But at least I have you to keep me company while I wait-”

“Oh, no, you can go ahead. His Grace approved your visits,” Marette interrupted with a hint of disappointment. “But… if you’re free when you’re done, I would love to chat again.”

What did that mean? It’d be one thing if she said Wriothesley was expecting him today, that would make sense. But that wasn’t what she said. She said ‘your visits’ as if Wriothesley put a blanket permission on Lyney’s entry to the Meropide. That was absurd. No way. Marette’s wording was just weird, that was all.

“Of course! I’ll make sure to wrap up as soon as possible so I may enjoy your delightful humor again~”

Marette giggled and waved him off. No one gave him a second look as he boarded the ferry to the fortress. His mind wandered as the dark, metal walls of the tunnel blurred together. Did Wriothesley also take this obnoxious route every time he went to and from the fortress? If so, no wonder he so rarely left. It was such a hassle. If there was a shortcut, Lyney was tempted to discover it. Not that he had any plans to frequent the fortress more than necessary…

A few fortress guards stared at Lyney as he walked through the echoing halls, but no one tried to stop him or speak to him. If Lyney wasn’t imagining things, some of the guards looked amused to see him. Absolutely not. Lyney refused to be a source of entertainment for this horrid place. He didn’t care how much Rosseland complained, this was his last visit.

“Lyney?! How’d you get thrown in here again?” A familiar high-pitched voice shouted before Lyney made it to Wriothesley’s office.

Spinning on his heel, Lyney desperately wished it wouldn’t be rude to disappear this very moment. Of course the Traveler and Paimon had to run into him. Just his luck. He put on his most charming smile as he teased, “I’m here for business, of course. But what are you doing here? Surely Monsieur Neuvilette pardoned you after you completed your favor for him.”

Paimon huffed and stomped her foot in the air. “No! Paimon has half a mind to come up with a nasty nickname for him for how ungrateful he is!”

“It’s not his place to meddle with affairs in the fortress of Meropide,” Traveler said with a fond head shake to their companion. “We have a couple more weeks before our sentence is up. If anything, this is a bit like a vacation.”

That put a whole new bleak perspective on the Traveler’s journey through Teyvat, but Lyney was saved from trying to come up with an appropriate response as Paimon loudly ranted about the injustice of Lyney and his siblings getting to leave.

Lyney laughed and winked. “We were falsely imprisoned, Paimon! Meanwhile, you truly committed the heinous crime of eating Lady Furina’s cake! Do you have no shame?”

Paimon looked ready to burst, and Traveler rolled their eyes at Lyney as they tugged gently on her foot and raised an eyebrow. Like the balloon Lyney once compared her to, Paion deflated with a pout. She was rewarded with a head pat.

With Paimon defused, Traveler turned a sly eye to Lyney. “Does your business have something to do with the cat the Duke had on his head when he came back yesterday? It’s been hot gossip all day.”

Rosseland was not getting ANY treats for a week! A day… Tonight.

“Not at all. This is official business and happens to correlate well with escorting Rosseland home-”

Traveler cut him off with a short laugh. “Sure. We’ll let you take care of your business. Once our sentence is finished, we’ll come by to say hi. Or… maybe we’ll see you sooner if you’re here again for… business.”

They left with Paimon loudly questioning why the Traveler said ‘business’ strangely, was she missing something? The guards standing outside Wriothesley’s office were making no effort to conceal they had eavesdropped on the entire conversation, but at least they weren’t openly laughing.

Lyney forced a genial smile as he passed them and centered himself with a deep breath. He learned from his last visit how obnoxious the office doors were. He carefully opened one enough for him to slip in, then shut it just as silently.

Wriothesley’s deep voice carried down from the second floor. He was speaking low enough that Lyney couldn’t make out the words, or if he had a soft-spoken guest. If he did, the guards would have said something before he let himself in. Right?

The polite thing to do would be to announce himself before heading up. The damned Duke of Meropide did not deserve Lyney’s courtesy. So with light feet, Lyney crept up the curving staircase to get a glimpse of Wriothesley in the unawares. He didn’t have company as Lyney suspected, but he wasn’t talking to himself either. Instead, he was chatting at Rosseland as he used his tie as a cat toy. Rosseland wiggled on his back on Wriothesley’s desk, swatting up at the dangling fabric in pure delight.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing, little shit,” Wriothesley said as follow up to him pondering about getting Rosseland some proper toys. “You could have plenty of entertainment hunting those rats in the storage rooms. You don’t need toys. But you know I’d get them for you anyways if you act cute, don’t you?”

Lyney’s heart did a little skip.

Oh, absolutely not. He was not going to be moved by Wriothesley having a soft spot for Rosseland. Everyone had a soft spot for Rosseland! That was not a glowing character review!

Disgusted with himself, Lyney made his arrival clear as he stomped up the last few stairs. Wriothesley didn’t even have the decency to act embarrassed getting caught doting on Rosseland. He shamelessly and carefreely greeted Lyney while he continued to play with the cat on his desk.

Lyney ignored him and dropped his secondary task in coming to pick up Rosseland on the desk next to the traitor of a cat. “These are from Lynette and Freminet. Rosseland, let’s go home now.”

Because he was a traitor, Rosseland rolled to his feet, trotted over to allow Lyney to give him a pat, then bolted onto Wriothesley’s shoulder the second Lyney reached out to pick him up. Wriothesley didn’t budge at the sudden weight as he picked up the packages from Lyney’s siblings.

“What are these?”

“Is the concept of a present foreign here? You see, the recipient is supposed to open the box to discover the contents inside-”

“You’re not as witty as you think you are,” Wriothesley cut in with an exasperated eye roll. “Why did Lynette and Freminet send presents with you?”

Lyney huffed as he hopped up to sit on the desk, making sure to crumple the papers Wriothesley had pushed aside to play with Rosseland. “Some semblance of gratitude, I suppose. I don’t know. I’m merely the courier, not a messenger. There’s letters too.”

Frustratingly, Wriothesley went for the letters first. Lyney didn’t know what his siblings got as presents and was dying of curiosity. As Wriothesley opened the first envelope, Rosseland leaped off him and inched toward Lyney again. He obviously wasn’t ready to leave and was looking to play. Lyney tried to ignore him, but quickly caved and made a playful grab for him. Rosseland let out a delighted meow and bolted back to Wriothesley, clambering up his arm to sit on his shoulder again.

They continued this silly game as Wriothesley read the letters with little reaction from the man turned climbing pole. Once finished reading, he turned to the gifts. From Lynette he unwrapped a box of tea. His eyes widened and he immediately opened the box to smell the leaves. Lyney didn’t recognize the brand, but it must be rare or expensive to get that sort of expression. Rosseland leaped onto Wriothesley’s broad chest this time, legs splayed and claws clinging to the fabric of his shift. Wriothesley’s only acknowledgement was a fond snort as he set the tea aside and picked up Freminet’s present.

A clockwork cat with a striking resemblance to Rosseland came out of the box. Wriothesley turned the key on its back to wind it up then set it on the desk. The cat stretched itself out in a fluid motion that explained the dark circles under Freminet’s eyes lately. Just how long had he been working on this? The clockwork cat stood from its stretch and started pouncing across the desk playfully. Rosseland’s eyes tracked it with obvious intent. Wriothesley scooped it up as Rosseland leaped off him.

“I’ll get you a toy of your own, little shit. This one’s mine,” he scolded lightly as he brought the clockwork cat to his shelves. With his back to Lyney, it was hard not to stare at the way his pants clung to his… assets. Seriously, Meropide’s tailor might give Chiori a run for her money if they ever finished their sentence.

Clockwork cat safely secured on a shelf, Wriothesley looked over his shoulder and caught Lyney blatantly staring at him. He shot the smuggest grin at him. Lyney saw red. He was going to strangle this asshole.

“These are thoughtful gifts. They didn’t have to, but please let Lynette and Freminet know I really appreciate them.” Wriothesley didn’t return to his desk. He dropped himself on his couch on the other side of the room and started preparing Lynette’s tea. “If you don’t mind playing messenger instead of courier, that is.”

“Of course I’ll let them know their gifts were appropriately appreciated,” Lyney huffed, crossing his arms and stubbornly not moving from his spot on the desk. “Even if I think they were completely unnecessary.”

Wriothesley snorted, accommodating Rosseland as he joined him on the couch without pausing in his tea preparation. “Don’t you think it’s about time we bury the hatchet? Your siblings, the ‘victims’ of our antagonistic affair, don’t hold anything against me; are thankful for the actions I took in the end. I certainly don’t hold any ill will despite you breaking multiple rules of my fortress and attacking me. It’s only you looking to drag this out.”

“Oh, please, I let that go ages ago,” Lyney lied nonchalantly. He flicked a card out of his sleeve to twirl around his fingers. Anything to not look at the muscular man setting up a delicate tea set with a cute cat in his lap. “You’re right, Lynette and Freminet are very thankful. Who am I to undermine their gratitude? No, I simply don’t like your attitude.”

The deep, rumbling laugh Wriothesley let out absolutely did not make Lyney squirm in any way. If he did, it was in pure hatred. Yup. Hatred and disgust.

“Sure, sure, keep telling yourself that. Now, I have a few things I want to clarify since you’re here. Why don’t you join me for some tea while we talk?”

If it were any other blend than Lynette’s gift, Lyney would have refused. But he couldn’t possibly waste something Lynette went out of her way to acquire! With a sigh, Lyney hopped off the desk and joined Wriothesley at his tea corner. And if there wasn’t anything new to talk about regarding the evacuation plans, well, obviously the Duke of Meropide wasn’t the brightest. He clearly needed to rehash things already decided on to get it through his thick skull.

And Lyney did not enjoy watching him play with Rosseland as they spoke.

Not one bit.

The prophecy came to pass as foretold, but Fontaine had not been doomed. Their Sovereign’s forgiveness had protected them from the dangers of the Primordial Sea while the joint efforts of Meropide, the House of the Hearth, and the Spina protected Fontainians from the natural dangers of a rapid flood. It was objectively good that everything was over and done with.

And yet, Wriothesley couldn’t help the melancholy that hung over him as he sat in his office, devoid of his long-time, secret secondary workload. Without a massive ship to oversee the construction of and evacuation plans to discuss, all Wriothesley had left were the day-to-day duties as the warden of Meropide. And he’d gotten all that done with time to spare with his extra work.

It almost felt like a crime, how much free time Wriothesley had these days.

At first, he’d taken to doing more rounds walking around the fortress. Unfortunately, that unsettled both the inmates and his guards. He spent one afternoon in the infirmary before Sigewinne banned him from hanging around with no purpose. She suggested he use his newfound free time to visit the overworld more often, but that was ridiculous. Even if he didn’t have any immediate tasks to complete, the warden of Meropide couldn’t be popping in and out merely because he was bored.

So Wriothesley secluded himself to his office and tried to occupy his time with his few hobbies. He tried his best not to think about the cat toys scattered across his office and the glaring absence of a spoiled cat. There was no reason to go to the overworld, and so no chances for Rosseland to accompany him home. Which meant there was no reason for Rosseland’s rude, prickly owner to come down and warm the chilly air of Wriothesley’s office.

Maybe Sigewinne had a point. Did he need a business-related purpose to go to the overworld? Perhaps he could head out for an afternoon and grab some more clockwork parts. He’d quickly gone through the selection he bought when he ran into Freminet all those weeks ago… And if he happened to bump into Freminet again, or perhaps his brother…

A sudden weight on his shoulder startled Wriothesley, but the accompanying meow had him adjusting for it rather than going on the offensive.

“Rosseland?” Wriothesley asked in disbelief as the cat insistently rubbed his head against Wriothesley’s neck. “You rascal, how’d you get in here?”

“He missed you.”

It shouldn’t have been more of a surprise to see Lyney nonchalantly coming up the staircase than for Rosseland to have snuck in on his own, but somehow it was. Wriothesley was speechless as he watched Lyney act as if he’d come to pick Rosseland up as had become routine, instead of having been the one to bring him (and himself) down to visit. Lyney eyed the assorted bolts and gears spread across Wriothesley’s desk in his latest mindless tinkering with his gauntlets. They weren’t as comfortable to plop his ass on as paperwork was, so it wasn’t shocking for Lyney to properly clear a space for him to sit on his favorite perch. The careful regard while moving the pieces aside, however, continued to make Wriothesley’s tongue feel like lead in his mouth. Was he being too hopeful about this sudden visit?

“He’s been moping around the house,” Lyney said, oblivious to Wriothesley’s internal plight. In fact, he seemed to be having one of his own as he hopped up to sit on the desk, but had yet to meet Wriothesley’s eyes since he arrived. Instead, Lyney fidgeted with a gear as he spoke. “It was quite pathetic, so I took pity on him.”

Wriothelsey’s heart felt lodged in his throat as a teasing smile filled his face. “Oh? Only Rosseland missed me?”

Red instantly illuminated Lyney’s cheeks and spread up to the tips of his ears. His eyes flickered up, catching Wriothesley smiling at him and immediately looking down again. He scoffed and produced a deck of cards out of the air.

“Since I don’t feel like making this trip again in a few hours to pick him up, I might as well stick around.” Lyney’s mask was firmly back in place as he shuffled the cards and finally met Wriothesley’s gaze with a teasing smile of his own. “You don’t seem terribly busy at the moment, Your Grace, so care to play a game or two?”

Wriothesley laughed, almost giddily, as he cleared the rest of his desk with one hand, the other occupied with petting a purring Rosseland. In all of his wandering thoughts while dealing with his boredom, Wriothesley never considered the possibility of Lyney taking the first step to acknowledge their relationship had grown beyond antagonistic business partners. It was a reluctant first step with plenty of subterfuge so Lyney could deny it if Wriothesley tried to address it, but there was no lie that could conceal the real reason Lyney was suddenly here sitting on Wriothesley’s desk again.

“You found me at the perfect time. I finished my work hours ago and nothing’s held my attention since.” Wriothesley pointedly looked over Lyney with a flash of teeth in his grin. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem anymore.”

Lyney frowned, uncertain if Wriothesley was complimenting or antagonizing him, and yet it clearly didn’t matter as a dusting of pink returned to his cheeks. It made Wriothesley’s stomach twist as Lyney rolled his eyes, fighting a smile. “Of course not. You’re quite privileged, you know, many people pay a pretty penny to be entertained by me.”

“Worth every mora, certainly.” That earned Wriothesley another bemused eyeroll where, just a month ago, he would have gotten some cutting response. As Lyney started dealing their hands, Wriothesley couldn’t help but keep pushing. “But, I hope you don’t have any adoring audience waiting for you anytime soon. I have a feeling Rosseland won’t be ready to leave in a few hours. Heck, he might not be satisfied until he attempts to suffocate me in my sleep at least once.”

“Maybe he has the right idea,” Lyney said with a snicker. His following words were said under his breath, as if he were voicing his thoughts to himself. “Perhaps I should give it a try myself.”

Wriothesley leaned forward, unable to stop himself even as he knew what his teasing would result in. “Asking to spend the night?”

Lyney froze. His face twisted in a scowl that did little to distract from his vibrant red blush. “Absolutely not! As if! Game canceled. Any and all appearances by the famed magician Lyney will have a cover charge from now on!”

He scooped up the cards he had just dealt out and vanished the deck with a flick of his wrist.

“I’ll be back to pick up Rosseland tomorrow. I hope he succeeds in suffocating you tonight!”

With that, Lyney turned on his heel and stormed down the stairs. He threw the office doors open and let them slam shut, making Rosseland meow in protest to the loud sound. Wriothesley scratched behind his ear to comfort him, and Rosseland happily leaned into the touch with a rumbling purr.

“Oh well, perhaps next time,” Wriothesley lamented with a snort. He already missed Lyney’s presence, but he couldn’t regret ruffling his feathers. It was too adorable to pass up.

Rosseland suddenly stopped purring to pointedly bite Wriothesley’s finger. His tail flicked and he growled around his mouthful, not about to let go.

Wriothesley winced, but didn’t try to yank his hand away. That would only lead to more blood. And he had an idea of what had Rosseland upset. “I’ll bring you home tomorrow and apologize for teasing him. Is that what you want?”

They stared at each other for a heated moment, then Rosseland released him and licked where he bit, back to purring. Wriothesley sighed with a fond smile. The cat had a point, it was only right that Wriothesley took the next step to meet Lyney half way.

If they stumbled on their way to figuring out what was going between them, well Rosseland clearly had no problem setting them straight.