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“Watch where you’re going!”
Claude quickly dodged an incoming student as he rushed down the staircase from the second floor dormitories. His hair was unkempt, his cheek creased with the folds of his pillows as he’d freshly woken up from a nap he chastised himself for taking.
“Whoops! Sorry!” he called out behind him, leaping off those last three steps and breaking off into a sprint towards what had meant to be his meeting point thirty minutes earlier. He was supposed to meet Dorothea for tea — and fuck , was he frightfully, embarrassingly late. He could already picture the annoyed scowl on her face, the way her foot tapped whenever her patience wore thin.
True enough, there she was, seated at one of the tables outside the dining hall and catching sight of him with an irritated glance. He couldn’t afford to waste another second. Claude bolted up to the table, grabbing the backrest of the empty seat across her, clutching it tightly in an attempt to catch his bearings. Oof, he was sweating. Not just because he ran as quickly as he could to see her, but from the trepidation over the fact that maybe he’d just pissed her off again—and considering what happened the last time he caught her wrath, he wasn’t all too sure if he could handle that stone cold treatment again.
Not when he found himself enjoying her company so much.
“I’m sorry, Thea! I’m so sorry I’m late! I ran as fast as I could!”
Dorothea tilted her head, studying him carefully. Suddenly, Claude grew hyperaware of how he must have looked. Barely had the time to put his jacket on with the buttons haphazardly done halfway. He lifted a hand to his cheek, palming at the sides of his mouth. Warmth rushed to his cheeks upon realizing that some drool had crusted over. He should have at least splashed some water on his face before running down, but the fear of not making the meeting outweighed whatever notion of vanity he kept.
Then her eyes narrowed, and he gulped. Yet a small, knowing smile curved at the sides of her lips. “Did you just wake up? You look like you’ve just woken up,” she noted teasingly.
“I—!” he stuttered, deflated. Gods, there was no use hiding it. She always saw right through him anyway. “I did. Fuck, I’m sorry!”
Claude swung himself over to take his seat, heartbeat roaring in his ears with anxiety. “T-this isn’t an excuse, but I stayed up so late reading last night—I didn’t mean to sleep but I guess I did! And I just… I knocked out.”
Shamefully, he lowered his glance to the table. Then he noticed… She’d already poured herself a cup of tea, lacking the steam that would have suggested how fresh it was. A plate of half eaten sweets was placed before her as well. She’d been sitting there waiting for him this entire time. If he hadn’t felt so guilty about it, he would have been impressed she even had the patience to wait for so long.
“Aw man… The tea must be cold,” Claude huffed, reaching for the pot. “Let me at least go get a new—”
Dorothea raised a hand, cutting him off.
“Calm down! Breathe,” she exhaled, and he raised his gaze to meet hers. Her voice was calm, patient. He found himself matching her even breaths until he finally simmered down. He saw her eyes brighten with relief.
“Honestly, I was mostly angry because I thought you were about to stand me up,” she shot him a pointed look in mock accusation. “But here you are, freshly woken up from a nap in the middle of the day. Goddess, Claude!” She sighed, pressing a finger against her lips in thought. “Was the book really that good?’
“Ah—! Yeah, I read through the first half of the series last night and I got about halfway through book four but—!” Claude cut himself off, realizing he was about to ramble off again. “I’m really glad I didn’t just snooze through our plans.”
He definitely didn’t expect what happened next. Dorothea leaned over the table, cheek cupped in her hand. She had her arms pressed against her chest that—! Claude swallowed thick, heat rushing back to color his cheeks. If his gaze dropped even just a hair lower, he would’ve found himself in real trouble.
Focus on her eyes!
“Don’t think I’ve ever seen you this flustered, darling,” she purred. Of course she’d notice how much was sweating in his seat. “Were you really that afraid of missing our date ?” Her mouth curled into a wide grin. She was teasing him, and Gods, did it work.
A date? A date ! They’d met each other for tea, walks around the monastery, lunches, dinners, afternoons lounging about the fields, and not once had they ever referred to them hanging out as… As— !
In a fit of panic, he glanced away, stuffing one of her half-eaten cookies into his mouth to at least buy him some time to think! Why was it that she always managed to catch him off guard like this? Granted, he’d won some battles in this little game they played, but did her defeats make her feel as helpless as he does when she bests him?
He felt her eyes on him. Then she started humming, which brought his attention to how much time had passed since he started chewing. He was making a complete ass of himself.
Come on. Think!
Claude swallowed, finally managing a string of words that would hopefully save him from any more damage.
“Well, keeping a girl like you waiting might as well be a crime, princess,” he shrugged, his lips quirking into a playful smirk. “And I’ve committed it.” He leaned over the table as well, propping his chin against the back of his hand. He met her eyes with an intense gaze which he hoped would throw her off. “So,” he asked, voice lowering to a teasing husk. “How can I make it up to you?”
He watched her brows draw up, and for a moment, Claude almost believed he got her to bite his ruse. But her shoulders started shaking and Dorothea bit her lip. The hand on her cheek slid to cover her mouth. Gods, she was stifling a giggle.
Claude raised an eyebrow, bemused, watching her as she leaned back into her seat. Her hand dropped to reveal her smug smile.
“Oh, you’re making up for it plenty by acting so cute !”
And just like that, she had him right back in the palm of her hand. He felt the steam rising from his ears as he watched her stand, taking the cooled pot of tea in her hands. “Now sit still and collect yourself while I get us a fresh batch of tea,” she hummed brightly.
Claude waited for her to disappear past the doors of the dining hall before sinking into his seat, absently fiddling with the loose buttons of his jacket. “A date, huh?” he muttered. He couldn’t stop the wide grin that spread across his face but thankfully, he had enough sense to keep himself from rising to his feet for a victory lap around campus. Chuckling to himself, he ran a hand through his hair. Nah, he was going to stay right in that seat and enjoy his date with the lovely Dorothea.