[At least Dimitri is eating, a small mercy. Felix eats his own cooking without any enthusiasm, downing his glass of water in one gulp as well before he proceeds to refill their glasses. Once Dimitri is done with his bowl, Felix stacks it with his on the table, eyes wandering towards the bath behind the only other door in the room.]
[Nodding, Dimitri moves to sit at a spot in the room where he can see inside the bathroom too, but once he sees it, he realizes Felix is going to have to retrieve water.]
I —
[...can't exactly go outside nude, can he? Nor can he put on fresh clothes in this state. Chewing the inside of his cheek, Dimitri forces himself to stay in place and wait.]
Sorry, [Felix says as he lays a hand over Dimitri's shoulder, squeezing it lightly.] I'll be back soon.
[Though it would be prudent to change out of his bloodstained coat first... Which Felix does, leaving him in his turtleneck and pants when he takes two pails with him to retrieve water from the nearby well outside.
It takes several trips still, but eventually he manages to fill the tub properly, exhaling once he completes the task and returns to Dimitri's side.]
It's ready now. Just a warning that the water is cold.
[His relief at Felix being done is obvious. With a brief nod to acknowledge the temperature warning, Dimitri climbs into the tub, hissing. It feels wonderfully cool against his wounds, but it's definitely cold on the rest of his body. With a shiver, he at least starts washing his hands, not wanting to undo all the work Felix did cleaning him up to begin with. His nails are far too long...]
...it's colder than I thought it would be. What month is it?
[What a time to hit his final growth spurt. Dimitri's likely to put on some more muscle, but as far as his frame goes, he's essentially at his adult size at this point. It's a chance that he himself hasn't noticed yet, not until he gives his hands to Felix and sees the difference in size.]
Your hands...
[No, it's his hands, isn't it? They're bigger. No longer in that dank, dark cell, he's finally able to properly see himself. Dimitri briefly glances down at his own body, looking away after only a second. It's practically foreign to him, bigger than it should be and covered with injuries.]
[Dimitri... only noticed now, didn't he? That his body is bigger than it once was, and Felix can't help but wonder if it would have been larger if he had proper nutrition during his confinement.
No sense on dwelling on it. Shaking his head after he gives Dimitri's hands a light squeeze, he picks up the knife he keeps with him and brings it to Dimitri's nails, careful as he starts on his task.]
...You've changed.
[Not just physically, but also in demeanor. Not that Felix feels inclined to elaborate.]
[Emotionally for the most part, but if Felix is going to be polite and not bring it up, Dimitri isn't ready to address it.]
Is it frightening?
[He must look an awful mess, hulking and scraggly and covered in blood and grime. If it were anyone else, Dimitri's certain he wouldn't care in the least about that, but remembering the way Felix had just started to look at him again... it stings.]
[Frightening? Yes, but for the reasons Dimitri certainly doesn't imagine them to be. It's a physical reminder of what Felix has willingly let pass in the name of an uncertain future, of the hard times to come in light of the changes Felix is working towards.
But Felix isn't ready to lie through his teeth to avoid a misunderstanding, so he simply sets his knife down once he's done with one of Dimitri's hands and brings his knuckles to his lips, lingering slightly before he moves to pick up the knife again.]
I doubt anything could ever pull me away from you.
[Except for death, but that's a thought he can't afford to dwell on. Not when much needs to be done yet.]
[A "yes", but one Felix is too kind to explicitly voice. He truly must be a sorry sight if even Felix cannot tell him to his face. It matters little in the end, he supposes... it may even be advantageous in escaping the capital.]
...where are we going after this? We cannot head directly to Fraldarius, the road there will be thoroughly patrolled.
Indeed. We'll be taking a roundabout route through Conand.
[Felix busies himself with chipping off some more uneven ends before thinking his handiwork satisfactory, letting go of Dimitri's hand then stashing his knife away.]
We have some contacts at the border, who should allow us safe passage.
[So they had it all planned out, then. Were they just waiting, afraid Cornelia would execute them if they made a move? Dimitri almost feels like he should demand an answer, but he's just too tired. So he nods, starting in on the task of scrubbing the grime from his hair. It'll clean under his nails at the same time, which is convenient since he's not sure he'd bother otherwise. Unless Felix prompts him, he'll finish cleaning himself up in silence save for his back, which he has trouble stretching to reach without tugging at his injuries.]
[Felix rises, offering the stool to Dimitri. The silence, much as he hates to admit it, is starting to get to him, and the opportunity to do something else is something he's glad to seize, simple as it is.]
[Dimitri climbs out of the tub when prompted. Though the water didn't seem that cold when he was in, being exposed to the air has him shivering almost immediately. But he still sits on the stool and waits patiently, knowing that the cleaner he is, the better. His teeth chattering slightly reminds him to grab a clean washcloth to scrub at his teeth with, which will hopefully keep him distracted from the frigid air until Felix is done and he can dry off.]
[As Dimitri climbs out of the tub, Felix opts to remove his shirt and pants, suppressing a shiver as he sets them aside with the towels. Picking up the soap and the pail with remaining water, he makes his way back to Dimitri, looming behind him before he kneels and starts on his task.
The wounds that Felix was addressing earlier are on their way to healing at least. Thank the goddess for Mercedes' potent medicine--two more days worth of applying them and most of them should be healed over with minimal scarring.
Yet, even the prospect of them getting over this has Felix all choked up as his hands linger over a particularly nasty wound. Gritting his teeth as if it would stop him from imagining the worst, of the torture Dimitri surely underwent, he resumes with soaping Dimitri's back before he rinses it in silence.
Swallowing once he's done, Felix wraps his arms around Dimitri's waist against his better judgment, resting his forehead against Dimitri's broad shoulder as he inhales his fresh scent, willing his warmth to calm his nerves as he fights the urge to sob his irrational frustrations out.]
[It's been a long time since someone's touched him without the intent to hurt him. Being embraced so suddenly by Felix when he's nearly nude is honestly overwhelming, and he can't stop himself from stiffening up. But the warmth is something he sorely needs on both a physical and an emotional level, so after a few moments pass he leans back into it, shivering.]
It's cold, [he says hoarsely, but other than turning around on the stool so that Felix is pressed to his chest instead of his back, Dimitri doesn't move.]
[Dimitri could have attacked him. Who knows what those bastards have done to him, though honestly, Felix would not have minded if Dimitri did, knowing it fully deserved anyway. For abandoning him six months ago, however necessary, and for abandoning him the first time around, the most unforgivable fact of them all.
But Dimitri does not lash out. He just leans into the embrace, soaking up the same thing Felix is no doubt seeking. It breaks Felix's heart in its own way, and he hates how he misses the Dimitri of half a year ago, who would hug him back and stroke his hair while murmuring what he needs to hear...]
Just... please, [Felix says, blinking back tears,] for a little while...
[Stay.
A selfish request to make of someone who no doubt had been put through the most trying of ordeals, yet Felix finds himself too weak not to ask, caving into temptation as if it is the only thing that would hold him together.]
[Even though the last time he saw Felix they were both rather vulnerable and clingy, somehow, it's still a surprise to see him like this now. Dimitri glances around the room briefly as if he doesn't know what to do with himself, ultimately settling for at least grabbing a towel to wrap around his own shoulders. He may not properly indulge that request as he would have six months ago, but he does stay, going so far as to rest a too-large hand on Felix's back. Felix has always been slender and elegant, but now that they're this close, he seems so small... how his body managed to grow like this with everything that was happening is something only the goddess knows.]
[Despite Felix hoping for it, Dimitri never envelops him in an embrace, a certain thought crushing him under its weight once it dawns upon him.
Loving Dimitri as he did in the academy wasn't enough. It's foolish of him to think that a torrid four months would be enough to change things, and more selfishly, expect that they would return or resume where they left off when they reunited.
Felix's heart lurches as he continues to cling to Dimitri, sucking in a sharp breath. Does Dimitri somehow know? That Felix purposely abandoned him to this fate? It seems so far-fetched, yet it's the only other thing that comes to mind besides the numbness Dimitri must surely feel after they left Dedue...
Still, for however much Felix wants to stay like this, the autumn air is still chilly, and none of them could afford to catch a cold in this weather. So he withdraws and rises on shaky knees.]
Let's go back. I'll light the hearth then get some bandages on you.
[Nodding, Dimitri stands as well, moving slowly to avoid falling over. Now that he's all cleaned up with some fluids inside him, it's all the more difficult to push past his exhaustion. But he'll at least dry off as thoroughly as he can, following Felix back to the main room with nothing but a towel around his waist. It's cold, but he knows Felix still needs to bandage him up.]
I'm... tired. Is it safe to sleep here?
[Both of them. He's not sure he'd be able to fall asleep without a solid reminder right next to him that he's not still down in that cell.]
[Throwing a few logs into the fireplace, Felix kindles the fire as promised, straightening up once the heat is to a satisfactory level.]
As safe as it'll get.
[It's a nondescript house, and Felix made sure they weren't trailed getting here. Coaxing Dimitri into one of the chairs, Felix starts to reapply the medicine and wraps some bandages around those wounds. As with before, Dimitri is quiet as Felix goes about his task, silence reigning over them as Felix finds himself disinclined to fill it too.
Once it's over with, Felix takes out a change of clothes for Dimitri--a simple tunic and a pair of drawstring pants. He brings some work boots out as well, though Dimitri won't have any need for it until tomorrow morning.]
Here. If they don't fit, there should be more options in the closet.
[And if Dimitri has nothing else to call on him for, Felix will proceed to dress down and don some nightclothes himself.]
[Putting on a fresh pair of clothes after all this time... they honestly feel strange. Too dry, like they're scraping at his skin. But it feels good, too, as does the fire when he opts to go sit in front of the hearth and finger-comb his hair. Not because he cares what it looks like so much as he knows better than to go to sleep with wet hair in weather like this, and combing it out will make it dry faster and more thoroughly. Dimitri continues to not speak, but he'll keep an eye on Felix even so.]
[Though not without cleaning up as well. With Dimitri taken care of and settled by the hearth, Felix retreats back into the bathroom, this time with the intention of bathing himself. He keeps the door open to allow some of the hearth's warmth to seep in, as well as to reassure Dimitri given his earlier request.
It's a simple bath as far as things are concerned--no soaking, just scrubbing the grime and blood off his body from their earlier exertion. A task he finishes in less than five minutes, after which he picks out a similar tunic and pair of pants from the closet, a shirt which is a little too big for his frame, but it'll have to do. With no other tasks at hand, Felix finally unties his hair, which Dimitri may notice is shorter than he last saw it.]
Is your hair dry now? You should go to sleep soon--tomorrow's going to be a long day.
[A long day? He'd like to spend a few days more here at the very least — if Dedue is alive, then he'll come and find them, surely... As much as Dimitri desperately wishes he could go and search for him, he will honor what might have been Dedue's last request and make sure he doesn't get caught by those filthy traitors. He won't go looking. Dimitri rises and goes to lie down, curling over on his side with his back tucked up tightly against the wall. Felix makes his way toward the bed as well, so he waits on pulling up the blankets. But then Felix settles on the floor, and though he doesn't have the emotional energy left to feel hurt over it, Dimitri is certainly perplexed.]
There is space enough for both of us. Are you not cold down there?
[As much as Felix longs for their old closeness, he isn't sure what to make of how Dimitri sees him anymore, so he errs on the side of caution and takes a spot by the floor.
But then Dimitri asks, and Felix has to wrinkle his brows at him, unsure of what to make of it. Though well, if Dimitri needs someone by his side...]
It is.
[But he thought Dimitri wouldn't want him climbing into bed with him. Still, it doesn't sound like a protest that'd go well, and Felix is in no mood for an argument anyway.]
If you're sure, then.
[Is all Felix opts to say when he rises and climbs into bed next to Dimitri, lowering his head as he comes face to face with Dimitri's bandaged chest.]
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cynicfelixity) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
amewsbox2020-01-09 12:53 pm
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I'll draw a bath.
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I —
[...can't exactly go outside nude, can he? Nor can he put on fresh clothes in this state. Chewing the inside of his cheek, Dimitri forces himself to stay in place and wait.]
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[Though it would be prudent to change out of his bloodstained coat first... Which Felix does, leaving him in his turtleneck and pants when he takes two pails with him to retrieve water from the nearby well outside.
It takes several trips still, but eventually he manages to fill the tub properly, exhaling once he completes the task and returns to Dimitri's side.]
It's ready now. Just a warning that the water is cold.
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...it's colder than I thought it would be. What month is it?
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Wyvern Moon, [Felix says without missing a beat, having kept it to heart.] it'll be over in three days, though.
[His gaze falls on Dimitri's hands, and the nails that are far too long on it.]
I'll get your nails for you, if you don't mind.
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Your hands...
[No, it's his hands, isn't it? They're bigger. No longer in that dank, dark cell, he's finally able to properly see himself. Dimitri briefly glances down at his own body, looking away after only a second. It's practically foreign to him, bigger than it should be and covered with injuries.]
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No sense on dwelling on it. Shaking his head after he gives Dimitri's hands a light squeeze, he picks up the knife he keeps with him and brings it to Dimitri's nails, careful as he starts on his task.]
...You've changed.
[Not just physically, but also in demeanor. Not that Felix feels inclined to elaborate.]
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[Emotionally for the most part, but if Felix is going to be polite and not bring it up, Dimitri isn't ready to address it.]
Is it frightening?
[He must look an awful mess, hulking and scraggly and covered in blood and grime. If it were anyone else, Dimitri's certain he wouldn't care in the least about that, but remembering the way Felix had just started to look at him again... it stings.]
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But Felix isn't ready to lie through his teeth to avoid a misunderstanding, so he simply sets his knife down once he's done with one of Dimitri's hands and brings his knuckles to his lips, lingering slightly before he moves to pick up the knife again.]
I doubt anything could ever pull me away from you.
[Except for death, but that's a thought he can't afford to dwell on. Not when much needs to be done yet.]
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...where are we going after this? We cannot head directly to Fraldarius, the road there will be thoroughly patrolled.
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[Felix busies himself with chipping off some more uneven ends before thinking his handiwork satisfactory, letting go of Dimitri's hand then stashing his knife away.]
We have some contacts at the border, who should allow us safe passage.
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[Felix rises, offering the stool to Dimitri. The silence, much as he hates to admit it, is starting to get to him, and the opportunity to do something else is something he's glad to seize, simple as it is.]
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The wounds that Felix was addressing earlier are on their way to healing at least. Thank the goddess for Mercedes' potent medicine--two more days worth of applying them and most of them should be healed over with minimal scarring.
Yet, even the prospect of them getting over this has Felix all choked up as his hands linger over a particularly nasty wound. Gritting his teeth as if it would stop him from imagining the worst, of the torture Dimitri surely underwent, he resumes with soaping Dimitri's back before he rinses it in silence.
Swallowing once he's done, Felix wraps his arms around Dimitri's waist against his better judgment, resting his forehead against Dimitri's broad shoulder as he inhales his fresh scent, willing his warmth to calm his nerves as he fights the urge to sob his irrational frustrations out.]
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It's cold, [he says hoarsely, but other than turning around on the stool so that Felix is pressed to his chest instead of his back, Dimitri doesn't move.]
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[Dimitri could have attacked him. Who knows what those bastards have done to him, though honestly, Felix would not have minded if Dimitri did, knowing it fully deserved anyway. For abandoning him six months ago, however necessary, and for abandoning him the first time around, the most unforgivable fact of them all.
But Dimitri does not lash out. He just leans into the embrace, soaking up the same thing Felix is no doubt seeking. It breaks Felix's heart in its own way, and he hates how he misses the Dimitri of half a year ago, who would hug him back and stroke his hair while murmuring what he needs to hear...]
Just... please, [Felix says, blinking back tears,] for a little while...
[Stay.
A selfish request to make of someone who no doubt had been put through the most trying of ordeals, yet Felix finds himself too weak not to ask, caving into temptation as if it is the only thing that would hold him together.]
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Loving Dimitri as he did in the academy wasn't enough. It's foolish of him to think that a torrid four months would be enough to change things, and more selfishly, expect that they would return or resume where they left off when they reunited.
Felix's heart lurches as he continues to cling to Dimitri, sucking in a sharp breath. Does Dimitri somehow know? That Felix purposely abandoned him to this fate? It seems so far-fetched, yet it's the only other thing that comes to mind besides the numbness Dimitri must surely feel after they left Dedue...
Still, for however much Felix wants to stay like this, the autumn air is still chilly, and none of them could afford to catch a cold in this weather. So he withdraws and rises on shaky knees.]
Let's go back. I'll light the hearth then get some bandages on you.
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I'm... tired. Is it safe to sleep here?
[Both of them. He's not sure he'd be able to fall asleep without a solid reminder right next to him that he's not still down in that cell.]
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As safe as it'll get.
[It's a nondescript house, and Felix made sure they weren't trailed getting here. Coaxing Dimitri into one of the chairs, Felix starts to reapply the medicine and wraps some bandages around those wounds. As with before, Dimitri is quiet as Felix goes about his task, silence reigning over them as Felix finds himself disinclined to fill it too.
Once it's over with, Felix takes out a change of clothes for Dimitri--a simple tunic and a pair of drawstring pants. He brings some work boots out as well, though Dimitri won't have any need for it until tomorrow morning.]
Here. If they don't fit, there should be more options in the closet.
[And if Dimitri has nothing else to call on him for, Felix will proceed to dress down and don some nightclothes himself.]
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It's a simple bath as far as things are concerned--no soaking, just scrubbing the grime and blood off his body from their earlier exertion. A task he finishes in less than five minutes, after which he picks out a similar tunic and pair of pants from the closet, a shirt which is a little too big for his frame, but it'll have to do. With no other tasks at hand, Felix finally unties his hair, which Dimitri may notice is shorter than he last saw it.]
Is your hair dry now? You should go to sleep soon--tomorrow's going to be a long day.
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[A long day? He'd like to spend a few days more here at the very least — if Dedue is alive, then he'll come and find them, surely... As much as Dimitri desperately wishes he could go and search for him, he will honor what might have been Dedue's last request and make sure he doesn't get caught by those filthy traitors. He won't go looking. Dimitri rises and goes to lie down, curling over on his side with his back tucked up tightly against the wall. Felix makes his way toward the bed as well, so he waits on pulling up the blankets. But then Felix settles on the floor, and though he doesn't have the emotional energy left to feel hurt over it, Dimitri is certainly perplexed.]
There is space enough for both of us. Are you not cold down there?
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But then Dimitri asks, and Felix has to wrinkle his brows at him, unsure of what to make of it. Though well, if Dimitri needs someone by his side...]
It is.
[But he thought Dimitri wouldn't want him climbing into bed with him. Still, it doesn't sound like a protest that'd go well, and Felix is in no mood for an argument anyway.]
If you're sure, then.
[Is all Felix opts to say when he rises and climbs into bed next to Dimitri, lowering his head as he comes face to face with Dimitri's bandaged chest.]
...Good night.
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