Chapter Text
Clorinde sighed as she stepped into Wriothesley’s office. It was a familiar space and a nice warmth to it compared to the underworld a few feet away from them. She walked over to the roaring fireplace, holding her hands out for a few moments.
“Here,” Wrothesley’s smooth voice said from behind her, she turned around to see him holding out a fluffy white towel. “As you requested.” He smirked at her, his cool almost icy eyes had a hint of playfulness in it.
Clorinde nodded in thanks, taking the towel from him and pressed it again her face. Despite being out of the water for a few minutes, she was still soaked through. She saw a small droplet trail of water after her.
“Thank you,” She politely said as she dabbed at her face. She walked over to a reading desk. With a soft exhale, she removed her hat and placed it gently on the wooden surface. Her long, violet hair was still soaked, dripping through her clothes, already making the uncomfortable feel of wet cloth sticking to her skin more evident.
She gathered her hair over one shoulder, wringing it with the towel to get most of the water out. She frowned when realizing how damp the towel had gotten.
“You’re going to need more than tea to warm yourself up,” Wriothesley commented from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder as the Duke began to prepare two cups of tea.
“Helpful observation,” She scoffed as he approached her. As his footsteps got closer, she suddenly felt his presence behind her. She closed her eyes briefly, knowing fully well the warmth that she felt initially didn’t entirely come from the fireplace. Clearing her throat, she turned around to meet his handsome face.
“I am quite perceptive, Clorinde,” Wriothesley’s corner of his mouth twitched upwards into a rare smile.
“Hmm…” She was grateful for the slight distraction by the pleasant aroma of the tea filling the room instead of his piercing gaze. “What kind of tea do you have to offer today?”
“Your favorite,” Wriothesley simply said as he handed her a teacup while she rested the towel on her shoulder. He watched as she brought it to her lips, slightly blowing on the hot liquid before taking a sip. Soon after, her usual expressionless face relaxed, her pretty indigo eyes closed before catching his own gaze.
“You seem pleased,” She commented as she took another sip of her cup.
“Of course I am, it’s not everyday I can see our nation’s Champion Duelist smile,” He teased and arched a teasing manner. He smoothly sipped on his cup, using it to cover the amused expression on his face upon seeing a faint blush on Clorinde’s cheeks.
“One may say you use tea as a false pretense to pester your guests, hm?” She asked in a serious tone.
Wriothesley’s smug expression faltered, only for a second though. But Clorinde caught it, she was quite good with reading the Duke’s emotions. She could say it was because she had great practice with opportune moments.
“There is no false pretense, Clorinde,” He replied as he leaned against his desk in the middle of the room. He placed his half empty cup behind him. “Your clothes aren’t going to dry completely.” He reached out to her. “Give me your teacup.”
Clorinde blinked, “I haven’t finished drinking yet.”
“You’ll be able to finish it later,” Wriothesley promised her. He held out his arm, palm facing up and fingers wiggling. “Clorinde.”
She rolled her eyes, her usual expressionless face the public knew her for was dropping. Was it because of the tea that made her feel so relaxed? No–yet she knew the exact reason why but didn’t want to admit…at least not yet.
Obliging, Clorinde closed the distance between them, but still leaving a foot in the middle. She handed Wriothesley her cup, noting how his large hand was able to completely envelope the small demitasse. He stretched forward a bit, his long sleeved shirt pulled back a bit to reveal a few scars on his forearms.
Scars she was familiar with.
“Just what exactly are you doing, Wriothesley?” She asked as she placed one hand on her hip, watching as he placed her teacup beside his on the desk.
“That tone of yours suggests you don’t trust me,” He said as he stood up. His figure towered over hers. She could understand the way the inmates in the Fortress would quiver under his gaze, though she couldn’t feel that way when she was with him. “Do you not trust me?”
Now it was Clorinde’s turn to smile, not even worried about hiding it. “That depends, Your Grace . The real question you should be asking is why I should trust you?”
Wriothesley chuckled, leaning closer so his lips were at her ear. “I think we should save that question for another time, no? I do have a few things I can say to you that would be quite convincing–some I’m sure you’re quite familiar with.”
That warmth that hit her the moment she walked into Wriothesley’s room was back, but this time it spread from her center in between her legs. Yes, she knew what the Duke was talking about. How silly of her, she’d thought she was better with understanding how she felt about him, yet here he was with that silver tongue–or what Navia referred it as.
“You should watch yourself,” She said, not knowing what possessed her to step forward, eliminating any space between them. She looked up at him, enjoying the way his confident expression soon turned into a slight panic.
She could hear him gulp, his body tensing, yet his eyes still intense as ever as if it was challenging her to continue her teasing. Smirking to herself, Clorinde took a step back wanting to retreat in victory and back towards the fireplace. Although she displayed the smugness, her body was begging for her to touch him, the desire fueling her the same way the memories of her bent over the desk–
Suddenly, the towel she had on her shoulder slipped off of her then a hand swiftly caught her wrist, stopping her from taking a step further. Her violet eyes rounded, snapping to meet Wriothesley’s gaze. “Wriothesley–“ She started.
“You’ll catch a cold, Clorinde,” he simply said, gently squeezing her wrist as he pulled her closer.
Wriothesley was now a breath away, the warmth coming off of his body made Clorinde feel lightheaded while he was too distracted by how beautiful she looked with her long, violet strands framing her face. “You’re shivering,” He noted with a frown. “If you walk around with your clothes as wet as they are, Miss Sigewinne will have another patient.”
Clorinde briefly closed her eyes, inwardly shouting at herself to create some distance between them…But she couldn’t resist. Her hand somehow managed to find a place on his chest. “It’ll dry.”
“Very convincing,” Wriothesley teased as he brushed a few strands away from her cheeks as the damp tendrils stuck to her face. “I can practically feel the water dripping off of you,” he said as his hand brushed against her shoulders.
“I don’t suppose you have an extra pair of clothes sitting around, do you?” She asked, feeling her cheeks start to burn as soon as the question left her lips.
Wriothesley was pleasantly surprised as an equally adorable flush rushed to his cheeks. “I may have something…”
“Very well,” Clorinde said, taking a step back and slipping off her blue jacket, then quickly untied her corset, gently placing both on the desk. She caught his eyes. Wriothesley had leaned back against his desk watching her carefully. “I suppose I should take off my top, right?”
Wriothesley coughed, standing up immediately and turned around. “You may, I‘ll give you some privacy.”
“No,” Clorinde insisted, she bit her lip as she fumbled with the topmost button of her blouse. “T-The tea will get cold.” She mentally kicked herself, what a pathetic excuse!
Wriothesley turned back around, the blush still on his face yet his eyes now darkened with lust. “Ah, now that wouldn’t do, would it?”
Clorinde shook her head, suddenly feeling the confidence drain out of her. This was nothing new to the two of them, their secrecy was something they cherished especially in their line of work. The familiarity of the Duke’s office gave Clorinde wanting more and Wriothesley looking for any opportune moment to work with her.
Shaking her head, she opted to face the fireplace as she undid the buttons of her blouse. She slowly started to shed off the wet fabric leaving her in just her equally soaked bra. She felt a cool blast of air hit her creamy skin. She shivered, reaching around to grab her blouse when she felt that familiar, comfortable warmth.
“Here, let me,” Wriothesley’s voice said from behind her, taking the garment and throwing it on a nearby chair. She shivered, hugging herself at the brief second of absence from Wriothesley’s warmth.
She sighed when she felt him behind her again, his hand slipping around her waist to pull her flushed against his chest. His other hand gently started to pat her dry, wiping at her shoulders then back. “I think I’d like that extra pair of… oh ,” she whispered when Wriothesley’s lips touched her skin.
Clorinde bit her lip, leaning back into his embrace as a few kisses trailed along her shoulders and towards her neck. She reached up behind her, her fingers threading through his silky black hair, pulling slightly at the roots when he managed to find her sweet spot in between her neck and shoulder. “Wriothesley, don’t you think we’re being quite risky with the Traveler and Paimon out there?”
“They’re with the Fatui siblings…” he whispered huskily into her neck as he turned her around. Clorinde snaked her hands up to his shoulders, squeezing them slightly as he pulled her closer.
Clorinde closed her eyes, tilting her head back when his kisses started to make their way from her neck, collarbones and finally her chest. She gulped knowing she was there on official business–she had work and professionalism to do! But the moment she stepped into his office, that was thrown out the window.
No, an ounce of professionalism was thrown out the door as soon as she accepted his invitation to tea.
“Ah, Wriothesley,” Clorinde breathed, her hand cupping his chin and titling it back for a greedy kiss. A kiss she’d been thinking of since their last meeting, how long has it been since then? Too long, her mind answered back.
The moment their lips touched, the warmth spread from the center of her legs through her whole body. Wriothesley effortlessly picked her up as she wrapped her long legs around his waist, allowing him to carry them to the reading desk near the fireplace.
“You make it difficult to play nice in front of them,” Wriothesley whispered against her neck as he pulled back. He unfastened his jacket, allowing it to fall onto the ground then capturing her lips again once more. “You’re so beautiful.”
He took a few moments to admire the woman before him. Her beautiful long violet locks were spread out under her, the adorable blush on her cheeks. Wriothesley smiled, seeing a few faded love marks on her chest from their previous meetings.
“You just don’t know how to behave,” She whispered back, unsure why they were trying their hardest to keep quiet despite their company being preoccupied at the moment.
Wriothesley smirked, his hand gently cupping her breast, earning a small gasp from her pink lips. She grinded her hips against his, feeling the obvious hardness. Wriothesley closed his eyes, enjoying the friction she created. He placed his hand on her hips. “Stop,” he growled, kissing her again. “I won’t be able to explain ourselves if someone walks in on us.”
Clorinde smirked, one hand reaching behind his neck to gently caress his soft strands of hair while the other tugged at the waistband of his pants. “Best be quick…We’re letting the tea get cold…”
Knock, knock, knock!
The couple froze, their breaths hot against the other’s skin filling their ears as the Traveler and Paimon’s voices could be heard on the other side of the door.
Quickly, the couple scrambled to get dressed. It took them a few minutes, but they managed to look presentable. Clorinde pulled on her wet blouse and jacket while Wriothesley did his best to hide the evidence of what events could have transpired.
With distance created between them, the couple gave each other one last one over. Clorinde adjusted her hat and adjusted a few more touches. She was completely taken aback from the quick kiss Wriothesley slipped in.
He grabbed her waist, pulling her close before kissing her sweetly. She kissed him back in response, a bit lightheaded after it, but nonetheless satisfied with ending their meeting with a little something.
She grinned a bit, wiping at her lips and watched as he opened the door.
Clorinde sighed and thought to herself, I suppose I have to deal with these wet clothes a bit longer.