[Reluctantly he rises from the floor, parting from Felix long enough to put on two more logs. He quietly wraps some fresh bricks as well, swapping them with the ones currently near Felix's feet. Since he's at least somewhat awake he could probably give him some for his hands as well, but a selfish, childish part of him wants to warm his hands himself. Biting his lower lip, he moves to get the chair he was sitting on out of the way so that he can start to push the beds together.]
[Felix squirms slightly when Dimitri replaces the bricks by his feet, but he doesn't protest it. At least until he hears the scraping sound of something heavy being dragged across the floor.
Something like a bed, in fact.
Reluctantly, Felix cracks an eye open, gaze zeroing on Dimitri as he starts bringing the beds together. But he doesn't do anything more than stare, and goes right back to closing his eye. True, he has every right to protest what Dimitri is doing, but it's a hill he doesn't plan on dying on, especially when more sleep is a much more enticing option.
Plus, he can't say he really dislikes the idea of Dimitri staying the night. There's something comforting about his presence that a warm hearth simply cannot replicate, and as to why that's the case...
[Felix takes notice, but apparently, he doesn't see fit to protest. Dimitri ducks his head and grins to himself, snagging another brick to wrap and put near the hand he won't be able to reach. After that he climbs on in, shifting his pillow to be right next to Felix's. He drapes the totally unnecessary blanket on his bed over Felix instead, curling over on his side to take hold of his other hand, pressed in close enough for Felix to be able to feel his heat from head to toe.]
Goodnight, [Dimitri murmurs, not particularly expecting a response. That Felix ended up in this state in the first place still has him seeing Glenn out of the corner of his eye, but for tonight, he decides to push it aside. He can let the guilt hit him later when Felix is well enough to yell at him properly again.]
[The effect is instant, and it's embarrassing how warmth ensconces him almost immediately at their renewed proximity. Much as he wants to excuse that it's just Dimitri's body warmth, Felix knows a portion of it is due to him as well. Not that he's about to admit it, considering how most of his warmth seems to be concentrated around his cheeks...
So he doesn't respond, and just lets exhaustion carry him all the way to the land of sleep.]
[Having slept poorly since Felix's injury, Dimitri is out like a light as well. He'll still be asleep the next morning when Manuela and Sylvain slip back inside. Sylvain's done her the favor of helping her back to her room a couple of times, so she's willing to let him in early to check on Felix... and try to get Dimitri to leave and eat. But when they arrive, they find beds shoved together and Dimitri very obviously warming Felix. As adorable as it is, Sylvain has no idea that Felix woke up and immediately thinks that Felix must have taken a downturn to prompt him to do that. Dimitri stirs once he approaches the bed and presses the back of his hand to Felix's cheek, checking his temperature.]
He doesn't feel too cold... did something happen?
["Let's take a look," Manuela says, shooing him so that she can check for herself.]
[Damn, he intended to be up with the sun...! Dimitri struggles to push down his embarrassment as he clears his throat and sits up, attempting to comb his hair with his fingers.]
He was a little cool to the touch. I needed to sleep in a proper bed, anyway.
[The room may be cooling as the night wears on, but Dimitri's body heat keeps Felix warm enough. Coupled with the exhaustion brought about by the recovery process, Felix sleeps in despite the amount of rest he's been getting.
He thinks he imagined the touch against his cheek, but Dimitri sitting up and subsequent loss of warmth caused by it has him scrunching his nose, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.]
Didn't I tell you to go back to your room? [Felix mumbles under his breath, even if he's dimly aware he didn't discourage the notion of Dimitri pushing the infirmary beds together.]
["That's enough, you two! I can't examine him with you horsing around. Go on now, go wash up before breakfast."
Dimitri pauses, picking at his shirt. It... is kind of sticking to his torso, isn't it...? It was just so hot, but he didn't dare reduce the heat with Felix in the state he was in.]
My apologies. I will take the sheets I slept on to be laundered along the way.
[But before Felix could say more, Manuela begins shooing Dimitri and Sylvain away, leaving Felix to stare as they mill about.
Sighing, Felix lets his hand fall flat against the sheets, letting Manuela fuss over him as she wills. Knowing her, it's best to just behave and wait for everything to be over and avoid doing anything that may risk reopening his wounds. Still, eyeing Sylvain and Dimitri makes him wonder about the headaches Manuela has to deal with on what he assumes to be a regular basis. Was he that rowdy too back in the day...? It feels like such a long time ago, even if this is technically his present...
He is distracted from his thoughts by a knock on the door, the newcomer's voice familiar.
"Professor, I brought some breakfast, should I take it back or is it fine for me to go in?"
"Certainly, Felix is awake now."
At those words, the door practically flies open as Felix twists his head to try and see without upsetting his bandages.
"Felix!"
Eyes glassy, Ingrid looks like she's about to pounce on the bed, but one look from Manuela has her staying her ground, swallowing as she walks over to the bedside table and places the tray of food on it.]
I'm not going to die from something like that, [Felix says, glancing away from that look on Ingrid, too soft for the stern lady knight he's come to know.
"But you almost did," Ingrid says, folding her arms. With no adequate response to that, Felix bristles and turns to look the other way, a little embarrassed at the prospect of being lectured by a 17-year-old Ingrid.]
Oh, good idea, [Sylvain says breezily as Ingrid puts down that breakfast tray. Best to cut off her scolding as quick as possible to spare Felix of it...]
How about I bring lunch, then? And Dimitri can bring dinner. Then we won't be overcrowding you, Professor Manuela.
[Dimitri is clearly VERY dismayed at the thought of not seeing Felix until dinner, but he can suck it up! He didn't get them last night when Felix woke up!
Pleasantly surprised, Manuela shoots Sylvain a small smile.
"Oh, all right. But only bring easy to digest food, and don't let him use his arms yet! That blade severed some important muscles."
[Thankfully, Sylvain's intervention seems to redirect attention from Felix to other people. He dares to glance Ingrid's way again, and she has that furrowed brow look on her face, as if contemplating telling off Sylvain for some sort of offense. But she decides against it, instead letting her gaze fall past Felix--the bed next to him perhaps, and then Dimitri... it's a little hard to see from where he is lying down, and it's rather tempting to sit up--
But he refrains, remembering how troublesome Manuela can be when she gets fussy about her patients. Handfeeding though... what a pain.
"Very well," Ingrid says. "I'll continue to bring breakfast. How many days are we going to continue this arrangement?"
Felix sighs, giving up as they continue to talk as if he weren't in the room.]
[Even though she knows he's doing it just to butter her up, Sylvain is still terribly charming. Honestly, that boy!
"Don't disturb his rest, though! If you can't behave yourselves I'll just ask Mercedes and Marianne to help."
There's also Linhardt, but... she's not letting that boy near an injured person with a major crest.
"Would you rather have one of them help you keep clean while you're here, Felix? I don't mind, but if you don't want a lady seeing you undressed..."
Dimitri's mostly kept quiet up until now, but when Manuela basically insinuates that either Dimitri or Sylvain might be giving Felix sponge baths he turns red up to his ears and takes a step back. Goddess, he couldn't withstand that!]
[What blood that Felix still has flows straight into his cheeks at the idea of Dimitri giving him a sponge bath--never mind that Sylvain and Ingrid and the others are part of that insinuation too. Certainly, they've seen each other bare a couple of times, especially a lot as children, but now, especially in the context of touching...
...Wait. Manuela is waiting for a reply from him. Coughing awkwardly, he says:]
[Now isn't that interesting? Dimitri and Felix are both pretty flushed. The way they feel is pretty obvious to Sylvain, but seeing them feel it at the same time is new. First it was Felix trailing after Dimitri like a sad puppy, then Dimitri doing the same to Felix... have they finally synced up? The thought is a little lonely, but more than anything, he's glad they aren't estranged anymore.
...mostly. He still doesn't want to have to stand here and see it for too long. Time to get Felix to tell him to get out!]
Aww, come on, Felix! You used to love it when I helped you take a bath. You were so bad about getting soap in your eyes, it was so cute... oh, but you did like having someone sing to you, so I guess Professor Manuela is actually a pretty good choice.
[That gets Felix to forget where and why he's there for the moment, and it takes a mortified "You'll reopen your wounds!" from Manuela for him to realize that he had started to push himself up. Though even then, he doesn't get far, considering how much his limbs don't want to cooperate with the task.]
...Shut up, Sylvain, [Felix says, groaning from where flops back down as he buries his face into his pillow.] Get out if you're just going to be a nuisance.
["...We'll take our leave," Ingrid says, hooking an arm around Sylvain, prepared to drag him out if need be. "Sorry about the disturbance, Professor, Felix."]
[Mission accomplished. Dimitri stays behind long enough to help Manuela by moving the bed back where it belongs, then he clears out too, eager for that bath. The longer he's awake, the more he notices how sticky with sweat he got...
By the time Sylvain returns with lunch (some stew, though not as spicy as Felix would like it at Manuela's request), Manuela will have seen to making sure Felix is cleaned up and carefully propped in a sitting position with pillows and rolled towels keeping the pressure off his wound. He probably won't be able to sleep as deeply that way, but staying on his stomach for too long will give him some serious neck pain, so up he will remain until after the last meal of the day. Seeing him sitting up is heartening, and there's no trace of the teasing from earlier in Sylvain's smile as he approaches the bed, pulling the chair up close.]
[Felix gazes at Sylvain with some suspicion at first, but when he finds no trace of mocking in his smile, he exhales and relaxes his shoulders against the pillows.]
Hey.
[Though Felix does not return Sylvain's smile, he's a lot less sullen after dismissing the threat of being teased. That, and the soup Sylvain brings with him smells rather appetizing, better than the bowl of vegetable soup he had for breakfast...
He gazes at it expectantly, waiting for Sylvain to just get this embarrassing affair over with.]
[After taking a brief bite himself to make sure it's still warm, he scoops up a hunk of meat and brings it up to Felix's mouth, his other hand hovering under the spoon in case any of the liquid drips. He'll wait until he's had a little while to chew before speaking, lowering the spoon back into the bowl.]
...it really is good to see you awake again. You were so pale when they rushed you in...
[Compared to Manuela taking care of him earlier, somehow, it's a lot more embarrassing to have Sylvain spoonfeed him like this. Certainly, Sylvain hasn't had to do anything of the sort considering Glenn was the one that had to look after him on occasion, but still, it twists his stomach into uncomfortable knots.
At least the soup is good. Not as spicy as he wants it to be, but it has a way of making him realize how hungry he is, even with that soup from earlier.]
I should've been more careful, [Felix says, casting his gaze to the side. Not that there really was much he could've done in that situation. What's up with that headache and illusion anyway? Was that Tomas' doing too? He's not sure if their organization is capable of doing it, but he wouldn't put it past them.]
They're words he keeps to himself, even if he can't completely keep the thought from twisting the smile off his lips briefly. But if they'd all been together, it never would have happened. Same with Dimitri getting hurt — if he wasn't so torn up over Felix, he wouldn't have fallen like that. Being apart like this isn't good for either one of them.]
I wasn't trying to scold you, [he says softly, lifting up another spoonful.]
I'm just... glad you're here. You can't go dying without me like that.
[Sylvain's jovial tone is gone, and expected as it is, it still aches to hear. Felix keeps his eyes on the spoon as Sylvain feeds him another mouthful, flavorful against his tongue.]
I won't. We promised.
[Felix can't forget that. Not that he wants to. Especially when it's what brought Sylvain and him together during trying days, after hard-fought battles he partook in for the sake of a peace he sought as penance for his sin...
Until Felix betrayed Sylvain for the battlefield, that is.]
Good, [he whispers, leaning in to rest his forehead against the side of Felix's head briefly. After a deep breath, he straightens up again and puts on another smile. Though Felix at this age likely wouldn't have been able to see the cracks in it, after seeing Sylvain during the war, seeing him have to fight his friends, they're far easier to spot.
This time the bite is vegetables, Felix will just have to live with it.]
...you know, Felix. The professor invited me to join the Black Eagles before, too.
[Felix grimaces at the bite, but keeps at it, chewing slowly in an effort to calm his nerves at seeing Sylvain's mask start to crack.
Yet Sylvain upsets them a moment later anyway, and it takes everything for Felix to keep his expression steady before it settles into a frown.
Of course, Felix knows. It's an idle thought confided in him one time, when all they had was each other in a sea of black and red, a small concern that blossomed into something more when Felix had decided to heed the call of his sword over his shield. Just as Felix had taken away Dimitri's shield, he had also taken away Dimitri's watchtower. Leveled it away, even if it's not by his own choice, that's where they were at when Felix belatedly realized his mistake.]
...You mustn't, [Felix whispers through gritted teeth.
Don't make the same mistake I did, but even without that unseen force keeping him from saying so, Felix knows those words will never willingly make it past his lips.]
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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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Something like a bed, in fact.
Reluctantly, Felix cracks an eye open, gaze zeroing on Dimitri as he starts bringing the beds together. But he doesn't do anything more than stare, and goes right back to closing his eye. True, he has every right to protest what Dimitri is doing, but it's a hill he doesn't plan on dying on, especially when more sleep is a much more enticing option.
Plus, he can't say he really dislikes the idea of Dimitri staying the night. There's something comforting about his presence that a warm hearth simply cannot replicate, and as to why that's the case...
Well, he'll think on that another time.]
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Goodnight, [Dimitri murmurs, not particularly expecting a response. That Felix ended up in this state in the first place still has him seeing Glenn out of the corner of his eye, but for tonight, he decides to push it aside. He can let the guilt hit him later when Felix is well enough to yell at him properly again.]
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So he doesn't respond, and just lets exhaustion carry him all the way to the land of sleep.]
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He doesn't feel too cold... did something happen?
["Let's take a look," Manuela says, shooing him so that she can check for herself.]
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He was a little cool to the touch. I needed to sleep in a proper bed, anyway.
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He thinks he imagined the touch against his cheek, but Dimitri sitting up and subsequent loss of warmth caused by it has him scrunching his nose, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.]
Didn't I tell you to go back to your room? [Felix mumbles under his breath, even if he's dimly aware he didn't discourage the notion of Dimitri pushing the infirmary beds together.]
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Felix!
[He sounds normal and his eyes look clear — present mentally, if tired. Sylvain laughs, elbowing Dimitri.]
You should have gotten us up if he woke up, come on!
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["That's enough, you two! I can't examine him with you horsing around. Go on now, go wash up before breakfast."
Dimitri pauses, picking at his shirt. It... is kind of sticking to his torso, isn't it...? It was just so hot, but he didn't dare reduce the heat with Felix in the state he was in.]
My apologies. I will take the sheets I slept on to be laundered along the way.
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[But before Felix could say more, Manuela begins shooing Dimitri and Sylvain away, leaving Felix to stare as they mill about.
Sighing, Felix lets his hand fall flat against the sheets, letting Manuela fuss over him as she wills. Knowing her, it's best to just behave and wait for everything to be over and avoid doing anything that may risk reopening his wounds. Still, eyeing Sylvain and Dimitri makes him wonder about the headaches Manuela has to deal with on what he assumes to be a regular basis. Was he that rowdy too back in the day...? It feels like such a long time ago, even if this is technically his present...
He is distracted from his thoughts by a knock on the door, the newcomer's voice familiar.
"Professor, I brought some breakfast, should I take it back or is it fine for me to go in?"
"Certainly, Felix is awake now."
At those words, the door practically flies open as Felix twists his head to try and see without upsetting his bandages.
"Felix!"
Eyes glassy, Ingrid looks like she's about to pounce on the bed, but one look from Manuela has her staying her ground, swallowing as she walks over to the bedside table and places the tray of food on it.]
I'm not going to die from something like that, [Felix says, glancing away from that look on Ingrid, too soft for the stern lady knight he's come to know.
"But you almost did," Ingrid says, folding her arms. With no adequate response to that, Felix bristles and turns to look the other way, a little embarrassed at the prospect of being lectured by a 17-year-old Ingrid.]
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How about I bring lunch, then? And Dimitri can bring dinner. Then we won't be overcrowding you, Professor Manuela.
[Dimitri is clearly VERY dismayed at the thought of not seeing Felix until dinner, but he can suck it up! He didn't get them last night when Felix woke up!
Pleasantly surprised, Manuela shoots Sylvain a small smile.
"Oh, all right. But only bring easy to digest food, and don't let him use his arms yet! That blade severed some important muscles."
Ah, handfeeding Felix... so cute...]
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But he refrains, remembering how troublesome Manuela can be when she gets fussy about her patients. Handfeeding though... what a pain.
"Very well," Ingrid says. "I'll continue to bring breakfast. How many days are we going to continue this arrangement?"
Felix sighs, giving up as they continue to talk as if he weren't in the room.]
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[He winks at Manuela before continuing.]
— clears him to use a fork.
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"Don't disturb his rest, though! If you can't behave yourselves I'll just ask Mercedes and Marianne to help."
There's also Linhardt, but... she's not letting that boy near an injured person with a major crest.
"Would you rather have one of them help you keep clean while you're here, Felix? I don't mind, but if you don't want a lady seeing you undressed..."
Dimitri's mostly kept quiet up until now, but when Manuela basically insinuates that either Dimitri or Sylvain might be giving Felix sponge baths he turns red up to his ears and takes a step back. Goddess, he couldn't withstand that!]
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...Wait. Manuela is waiting for a reply from him. Coughing awkwardly, he says:]
I don't mind you taking care of me, Professor.
[The safest answer in this regard, perhaps...]
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...mostly. He still doesn't want to have to stand here and see it for too long. Time to get Felix to tell him to get out!]
Aww, come on, Felix! You used to love it when I helped you take a bath. You were so bad about getting soap in your eyes, it was so cute... oh, but you did like having someone sing to you, so I guess Professor Manuela is actually a pretty good choice.
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...Shut up, Sylvain, [Felix says, groaning from where flops back down as he buries his face into his pillow.] Get out if you're just going to be a nuisance.
["...We'll take our leave," Ingrid says, hooking an arm around Sylvain, prepared to drag him out if need be. "Sorry about the disturbance, Professor, Felix."]
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By the time Sylvain returns with lunch (some stew, though not as spicy as Felix would like it at Manuela's request), Manuela will have seen to making sure Felix is cleaned up and carefully propped in a sitting position with pillows and rolled towels keeping the pressure off his wound. He probably won't be able to sleep as deeply that way, but staying on his stomach for too long will give him some serious neck pain, so up he will remain until after the last meal of the day. Seeing him sitting up is heartening, and there's no trace of the teasing from earlier in Sylvain's smile as he approaches the bed, pulling the chair up close.]
Hey, you.
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Hey.
[Though Felix does not return Sylvain's smile, he's a lot less sullen after dismissing the threat of being teased. That, and the soup Sylvain brings with him smells rather appetizing, better than the bowl of vegetable soup he had for breakfast...
He gazes at it expectantly, waiting for Sylvain to just get this embarrassing affair over with.]
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...it really is good to see you awake again. You were so pale when they rushed you in...
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At least the soup is good. Not as spicy as he wants it to be, but it has a way of making him realize how hungry he is, even with that soup from earlier.]
I should've been more careful, [Felix says, casting his gaze to the side. Not that there really was much he could've done in that situation. What's up with that headache and illusion anyway? Was that Tomas' doing too? He's not sure if their organization is capable of doing it, but he wouldn't put it past them.]
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They're words he keeps to himself, even if he can't completely keep the thought from twisting the smile off his lips briefly. But if they'd all been together, it never would have happened. Same with Dimitri getting hurt — if he wasn't so torn up over Felix, he wouldn't have fallen like that. Being apart like this isn't good for either one of them.]
I wasn't trying to scold you, [he says softly, lifting up another spoonful.]
I'm just... glad you're here. You can't go dying without me like that.
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I won't. We promised.
[Felix can't forget that. Not that he wants to. Especially when it's what brought Sylvain and him together during trying days, after hard-fought battles he partook in for the sake of a peace he sought as penance for his sin...
Until Felix betrayed Sylvain for the battlefield, that is.]
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This time the bite is vegetables, Felix will just have to live with it.]
...you know, Felix. The professor invited me to join the Black Eagles before, too.
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Yet Sylvain upsets them a moment later anyway, and it takes everything for Felix to keep his expression steady before it settles into a frown.
Of course, Felix knows. It's an idle thought confided in him one time, when all they had was each other in a sea of black and red, a small concern that blossomed into something more when Felix had decided to heed the call of his sword over his shield. Just as Felix had taken away Dimitri's shield, he had also taken away Dimitri's watchtower. Leveled it away, even if it's not by his own choice, that's where they were at when Felix belatedly realized his mistake.]
...You mustn't, [Felix whispers through gritted teeth.
Don't make the same mistake I did, but even without that unseen force keeping him from saying so, Felix knows those words will never willingly make it past his lips.]
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