Chapter Text
“Remember the first time we had a bath together?”
Lorenz snorted from where he relaxed in the large bath that took up nearly half of the room. He’d been soaking for some time now, enjoying the warmth on his tired joints, and begun to wonder if Claude was ever going to join him. “I’d hardly call that together. You really just watched me.”
Claude hummed, tossing the other man a grin when he caught his gaze. “And now you’re the one watching me.”
“Should I stop?”
“I never said that.”
Lorenz wasn’t shy as he watched Claude undress. The Almyran had changed quite a bit since that ‘first time’. In fact, he’d changed a lot since the war had ended. Claude’s beard was fuller now, still kept short, though he threatened to grow it out from time to time. His body wasn’t as lithe and muscular as before. He still had muscles, but they weren’t quite as pronounced. His stomach was certainly softer, a layer of fat over the muscle that Lorenz adored. The softness showed how relaxed things were nowadays, how they could take time enjoying life rather than worrying about one disaster after the next.
Finally, Claude joined him in the bath, eschewing all of the free space in the bath to settle beside Lorenz, pressing into the other man’s side. “Enjoying the view?”
“There are far worse sights.”
Claude scrunched up his nose at the taunt, arms circling around Lorenz and pulling the other man half into his lap. “Well, I’m enjoying my view. Can’t think of anything better.” He pressed a kiss just under Lorenz’s ear, then several more down the length of his neck. “You’ve only gotten more beautiful with age.”
Lorenz flushed, laughing lightly. He too had changed a lot since the war had ended. While he hadn’t softened quite as much physically, still quite boney despite the lavish meals Claude arranged for the both of them, his overall presence had softened quite a bit. His posture and resting expression had lost most of their stiffness, replaced with contentment. Lorenz had to admit, the change in mood certainly improved his features. His hair had grown quite long as well, reaching just past his shoulders all around.
“Why don’t you help me wash my hair, then we can relax?”
“As you wish.” Claude pulled away, standing up just long enough to grab the shampoo and conditioner. Though he had his reservations early on in their relationship, Lorenz had come to quite enjoy letting Claude wash his hair. The man was incredibly gentle, ever aware of Lorenz’s sensitive scalp. He would spend quite some time combing through the hair with his fingers, starting from the bottom to work out any tangles along the way. Next came shampoo, which he was careful not to pull or tug. As Claude massaged his scalp, Lorenz found himself nearly dozing off when the pleasant sensation combined with the warmth of the bath.
Another kiss below his ear nudged him back into the present. “Close your eyes, darling.”
After rinsing out the shampoo and making sure no soap got in Lorenz’s eyes, Claude lathered conditioner through the locks, careful to coat every strand.
While they waited for the conditioner to set, Lorenz took the time to return the favor. Claude had long since stopped having his own products, preferring to let Lorenz choose the scent. He knew Lorenz enjoyed knowing that he smelled like him. The task was done with less care, simply due to how much less hair there was, but Lorenz still took his time massaging the other’s scalp. Claude found himself sinking into the water and leaning back against the other man as he enjoyed the sensation.
“Sit up for a moment so I can rinse and put on conditioner.”
Claude pouted, puffing out his cheeks slightly, but did as asked, making sure to close his eyes tightly. He’d learned his lesson about that the hard way a couple of times by now. Once the conditioner was in his hair, Claude crawled over, nudging his husband’s legs open. He settled down with his back to Lorenz, slipping back into the water and leaning against him.
They often sat like this, with Claude either leaning back against Lorenz’s chest or pressed into his side. It wasn’t completely unexpected, but Lorenz had been somewhat surprised at how eagerly Claude took on the role of little spoon. He’d met a great many men who were overly conscious of their height, even if they were average height, but Claude seemed to find great pleasure in being the shorter of the two.
Even with Claude sitting directly in his lap, Lorenz could still rest his chin on the other man’s shoulders. They’d tried the opposite before, but it only worked if Lorenz sat sideways, otherwise, Claude’s face was just pressed into his back. Not that Claude minded, but he preferred to leave that for when he decided to be the big spoon and accept that he would just be the one sitting in Lorenz’s lap.
Lorenz had learned quite early on that Claude liked to be held. He would use any and every excuse he could come up with to spend time in Lorenz’s arms. When that wasn’t an option, he would settle for holding hands or linking their arms together. Even when they sat at the dining table, Claude often hooked his foot around Lorenz’s as if he couldn’t stand being without contact.
He wasn’t just like this with Lorenz either, though it was certainly the most extreme case. Whenever Byleth came to visit, Lorenz would often find Claude hanging off of them. Hilda didn’t put up with it for quite as long, especially not in public, but if it was just the four of them – her wife Marianne joining them – she would give in after making a fuss of it. That would leave Lorenz and Marianne sitting together, exchanging soft smiles as they watched their partners argue and tease each other.
Lorenz had never really been one for physical affection, but after being in a relationship with Claude for so long he often found himself aching for touch after too long apart. Even the sneak attack hugs Hilda and Claude would give him, often together, had become quite enjoyable to him. Perhaps he’d only been wary of physical affection because he’d had no one to share it with.
“What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” Claude looked up at him, pure adoration in his eyes.
“Just thinking about how clingy you are.” Lorenz waited long enough for Claude to put on a pout before continuing. “And how much I love it.” That pout turned into a grin.
After a few more minutes Claude sighed. “I guess we better get out before you turn into a prune.” He ducked his head under the water to rinse it out, before moving away just enough so that he would be able to help Lorenz rinse his own. “If you get all pruney you’ll drag me through that moisturizing regime of yours.”
“I don’t remember you complaining the last time I asked you to help.” Though he had whined at first, Claude had taken far longer than Lorenz ever did on the routine. Why would he rush when it gave him the perfect excuse to not take his hands off of his husband?
“I did enjoy it, but I want to keep kissing you and I’d rather taste you than the lotion.” Claude liked to kiss him everywhere, including several places Lorenz still blushed at the thought of even now.
Lorenz flushed, the pink color reaching the tips of his ears. In the early stages of their relationship, he’d often tried to hide his ears beneath his hair when he got embarrassed, but not anymore. Not when Claude found it so endearing. “Don’t get too excited. Mother is coming to visit tomorrow.”
Claude hummed as he helped Lorenz from the tub, before grabbing a towel and going about drying the other man off. It was a routine of theirs. Claude would dry Lorenz first, then take care of himself. “I know, I know. Not as if you aren’t mostly covered up anyways.”
The first time his mother had met Claude, Lorenz had been an absolute disaster. Everything that could possibly have gone wrong had run through his mind. In the end, there had been no need to worry. His mother absolutely adored Claude, greeting him with the same warm hug and kiss on the cheek that Lorenz got. It certainly helped that Claude was more attentive than her other children had ever been, easily worming his way into her heart.
Lorenz’s relationship with the rest of his family wasn’t quite as smooth. His father had been quite upset at first but had calmed down given a bit of time. Rather than being upset at the gender of Lorenz’s chosen partner, his anger had mostly been at it destroying all of the plans he’d been making over the years. Those plans quickly shifted onto his younger brother and he’d begun making new plans for Lorenz. Still, there was always a stiffness in the air when his father came to visit, as though those feelings hadn’t entirely passed.
Beyond the occasional visits from his youngest sister, who would soon have a wife of her own, his other siblings generally kept to themselves. Lorenz preferred it that way. They had never been very close, always jealous of the attention he got as the eldest, and he didn’t see the need to remedy that. Thankfully Claude and his mother did not either.
If Claude had his way they would go straight to bed, but there was no way Lorenz was going to bed with wet hair. Claude could get away with scrubbing a towel over his head to get rid of most of the moisture, but that wouldn’t work for Lorenz. Instead after gently drying off with a towel he would sit at his vanity and take up a small device Hilda had gifted him. A cylinder that snuggly filled out his hand with another cylinder, several inches across, set perpendicularly atop it. A brush of his thumb over the rune on the handle called the spell within it to life, pulling air through it and out the other side, creating his own personal breeze of sorts. Some days Claude chose to help him, but today he simply sat pressed up against his back, arms firmly around his waist.
Finally, after what felt like a century for Claude, Lorenz’s hair was dry and they could climb into bed. Lorenz barely sat down before Claude was in his lap, pressing kisses anywhere he could reach. “I thought we were going to bed.” As he said it though, he pulled Claude’s face towards him to kiss him on the lips.
“After I’ve finished kissing you.”
“That could be hours from now. We have meetings in the morning, you know.”
“Yeah, yeah. I won’t keep you up that late.” Claude paused in his efforts to kiss every inch of Lorenz to fully take in the man before him. No matter how much time passed, Claude was always in awe at just how beautiful Lorenz was. Elegant features, smooth skin, eyes with more depth of color than anyone else he’d ever known, and lips that could be dangerously tempting at times.
“Is there a reason you’re staring?”
“Just thinking about how beautiful you are and how lucky I am to have you.”
“You are rather lucky aren’t you?”
Claude grinned. He loved the confidence Lorenz had in himself, though he’d lost the arrogance that had come with it in their earlier years. “Are you lucky to have me or am I just the most tolerable option?”
Lorenz frowned. He knew Claude didn’t mean anything by it. They both told each other how much they loved the other often enough for there to be no doubts about their feelings. Still, the joke didn’t sit quite right with him. “Far better than tolerable. I wouldn’t trade you for anyone else.”
“I know you wouldn’t.” Claude leaned up to kiss him again. They were asleep just after midnight.