Chapter Text
When Dimitri had become king, they had prepared for almost any possibility. People tasted his food to make sure there were no poison attempts, there were guards everywhere, he had a frankly ridiculous amount of advisors there to aid in anything he could need, and yet.
They hadn’t been ready for some seemingly harmless magic user to get close enough to him to cast a spell like this. She had approached, hesitant, and claimed she had some concerns. Dimitri knew her only as a maid in the castle so of course he would want to know, if there were problems here then they needed to be solved.
Now Dimitri was a large fluffy cat and no one knew what to do. The woman had been caught immediately of course, the second she cast the spell Dedue and Ingrid had her against the ground, demanding answers. She only laughed and now Dimitri is here on the floor of the room, with four paws and a tail and no way to speak.
Ingrid rips her up from the floor as Dedue spins, eyes landing on Dimitri. He falters, uncertainty and hope and fear all warring in his eyes. “..My King?” Dimitri bobs his head with a meow, lurching up and attempting to walk to him. It..doesn’t quite work and he faceplants immediately.
Turns out walking on four legs is not the same as two. Dedue rushes forwards, hovering nervously around Dimitri. He meows plaintively and lays down. This was going to be an odd experience. Dedue makes a worried sound and tentatively puts a hand on Dimitri’s body. “Oh I’m so sorry your majesty, are you injured? We’ll figure out a way to turn you back before long I’m sure.”
There’s an ever so subtle shake to his hands and Dimitri doesn’t think he would notice if he was not a cat. He will need to work on that. Dimitri carefully stands up and bumps Dedue’s hand with his head, relying on instinct to produce a rumbling purr he hopes is reassuring.
Dedue sighs and murmurs “You are aware, right your majesty? I had assumed so but..” Dimitri huffs and nods, hoping it gets the point across. Dedue looks relieved so he assumes it does. His friend doesn’t speak for a moment, before saying “I wonder what kind of cat you are. You’re rather large..it is good that you seem to have thick fur at least, the cold should not be a bother for now.”
Dimitri honestly hadn’t noticed until now. He was a bit busy trying not to panic over the fact that he’s a cat now. He was rather warm though, now that he thought about it. Dedue stands and Dimitri rises as well, attempting to follow him when Dedue turns but once again stumbling over his paws. Dedue pauses, worry flashing across his face. “Ah..may I carry you my king?”
Dimitri pauses, one paw in the air. That..will be rather embarrassing. Yet, Dimitri doesn’t particularly feel like trying to relearn how to walk in this large empty room, and he doesn’t want to force Dedue to wait when the man surely has things far more important to do. So with a slump of his shoulders he nods his head and doesn’t fight it when Dedue’s large hands come around his middle and lift him carefully into the air.
It’s…not as bad as Dimitri thought it would be, actually. He can feel his friends body heat and as Dedue adjust him, Dimitri decides on a whim to clamber up onto his shoulders. Dedue makes a startled noise but doesn’t stop him and so Dimitri curls himself around his neck, long tail dangling down across his chest.
Dedue stays still until he settles and then starts walking again. When the doors to the room close, it feels oddly final. Dimitri decides to not focus on that. His friends were brilliantly determined people and if they want to find a way to turn him back, then they’ll find a way.
Dimitri is relieved, suddenly, that he has good friends he can trust to both take care of him and who will put true effort into turning him back. It would be so easy to say something had happened, that he’d been killed, it would be so easy to take the throne right now and Dimitri can feel his now-small heart start beating a little too fast because what if-
Dedue places a single, warm hand over his flank and Dimitri relaxes. He doesn’t need to worry about that. His people are good people. “My king?” Dedue’s voice is soft and Dimitri knows it’s likely due to the fact that anyone could be wandering around this part of the castle. The concern only further serves to reassure him and Dimitri meows softly in reply, lowering his head down to rest on Dedue’s shoulder.
Dedue’s hand stays on his body and Dimitri wonders if his friend is even fully aware of it. It’s kind of nice, though. People don’t touch Dimitri casually anymore. They make their way through the castle until they reach the personal quarters, and the second he realises Dedue is taking him to Felix’s room and not Dimitri’s own, he’s trying to rise to his feet and leap to the floor.
Dedue makes a strangled sound and grabs him immediately, leaving Dimitri dangling from his hands above the floor. Dimitri makes a protesting sound, trying to inform him that seeing Dimitri like this was only going to make Felix worry and Felix doesn’t need to be worrying about Dimitri right now. Maybe he would be furious with Dimitri if he thought he left without saying goodbye, but he’d be a lot less worried.
Dedue gives him a half apologetic look. “My apologies, your majesty, but the duke will want to know about your current circumstances and I trust that he will be able to look after you while we figure things out.” Dimitri gave him what he hoped was a pleading look. Dedue faltered for a moment and he dared to hope, but then his friend shakes his head and tucks Dimitri under his arm.
Dimitri squirms but can’t gain any footing with his paws and is left dangling awkwardly. Dedue knocks on the door, and when Felix doesn’t answer quickly he raps his knuckles on the wood again. Felix opens it, annoyance flashing across his face and Dimitri can feel himself wilt in Dedue’s arm. “What is so important that you couldn’t wait five fucking minutes??”
Dedue gestures to Dimitri and Felix does a double take. “Someone was able to get past our detection today, and his majesty has, well, been turned into a cat as you can see. The caster has been caught but we are as of now unsure of how to reverse the spell, so please look after him for the time being.” Felix continues to stare at Dimitri and then turns to Dedue, eyes dark.
“And how exactly did this caster even get close enough to him to do this?” Dedue shifts and Dimitri makes a soft sound of protest. Felix’s eyes snap to him and the man reaches out with a sigh and takes him from Dedue’s arm, wrapping Dimitri up in his arms and holding him close to his chest. Dimitri goes willingly, if only because it’s more comfortable than dangling limply.
And..also because it’s Felix and now that Dimitri is here, he’s relieved. He feels safer here, held tightly by the person he loves. He goes completely limp in Felix’s arms and Felix makes a soft surprised sound but just adjusts his grip to better support Dimitri. Dedue watches silently before he responds. “She worked here as a maid, claimed to have some concerns. Our King is a good man and so decided to hear her out. Whatever she did worked at a distance, and worked quickly. We have her in holding currently until we know how to safely interrogate her.”
Felix studies him for long enough that Dedue looks almost uncomfortable. Finally though, he nods. “I’ll take care of him. Figure out what we’re doing in the meantime. There’s still a country to run, and Dimitri can’t do that as a cat. Figure it out.” Dedue bows his head once and then turns, walking away down the hallway.
Felix sighs and Dimitri can feel the rise and fall of his chest as he does so. He turns and walks back into his room, shutting the door with his foot. Dimitri looks up at him and makes a questioning sound. Felix looks at him as he walks to the bed, dropping Dimitri down onto the thick blankets. “You’re staying here until they figure out how to turn you back. It’s safest this way. That, and the story we’ll likely need to put together is that you were pulled away on sudden business and we don’t need any of the maids spreading rumours about how your rooms are still being used.” Felix hesitates and Dimitri looks up at him, ears pricked forwards. “If..if you don’t like staying here with me then we’ll like, try to have Annette look after you.”
Dimitri immediately meows loudly and when Felix looks at him in bewilderment, Dimitri meows again. Felix scowls. “Is that your way of saying you don’t want to be here? Fucks sake you could at least try to-“ He stops when Dimitri meows again. Really, Felix? That’s the assumption you come to? Dimitri huffs and very pointedly turns around and stumbles his way across the bed until he reaches the end of the blanket. He turns, looks Felix dead in the eye, and wriggles his way under until just his head sticks out. He meows again.
Felix stares at him in disbelief for a moment and then snorts, shaking his head. “Right. Right, you want to stay. Of course.” Felix turns and walks to lean out the window, sighing. There’s a vulnerability in his shoulders that Dimitri does not often get to see, even now. It probably helps that Dimitri is rather harmless right now, even if he hates to admit it.
Dimitri slides out from under the blankets and with very careful steps, makes his way to the edge of the bed. Peering over the edge, he eyes the drop. He crouches, and then hops down. He stumbles as he lands but it’s not as bad as earlier. The same careful steps lead Dimitri to where Felix stands. He doesn’t try to get his attention. It never works. Instead, he just leans against the man's legs, hoping his presence is more reassuring than it is stress inducing.
Felix sighs. After a moment he murmurs, “I had been planning to go to the training field today, but I think it might be for the best if I stay here. I’ll find some excuse if anyone not in the know asks questions.” Dimitri rumbles his approval, leaning a little more against Felix’s leg. They stand there for a while, not doing anything even as the cold autumn breeze comes through the open window.
After a few minutes (or maybe it’s far longer, but Dimitri didn’t bother to keep track as the time passed) Felix moves back, stretching. He pauses and then leans down, scooping Dimitri up. He makes a startled mrrp in turn, but settles easily. Felix turns and walks back to the bed, putting Dimitri down and then getting into bed himself. There’s a book on the side table that he grabs and opens to a bookmarked page.
Dimitri watches unmoving and then slowly creeps his way forwards. Felix pauses for a moment but doesn't stop him when Dimitri first makes contact with his leg. It serves as encouragement, and Dimitri slinks his way up to curl up on Felix’s lap, taking care to not disturb his book. Felix doesn’t acknowledge him for a moment but then a hand settles on Dimitri’s back, and he can feel fingers start to card gently through his fur.
It’s nice. They..did not often get the chance to indulge in peace, and calm moments. Dimitri doesn’t realise he’s purring until he hears Felix’s shaky breath and the faster than normal heartbeat coming from the man he’s with. He lifts his head and Felix puts down the book he’s holding. Dimitri can feel the vibrations in his own chest but they stop the second he sees the wetness in Felix’s eyes.
Dimitri makes a concerned sound, lurching up and pressing his face to Felix’s collar bone. In turn Felix gathers him up and holds him tightly, pressing his face into Dimitri’s furry body. It’s..out of character. Felix has only ever let Dimitri hold him after nightmares or close calls. Dimitri forces a purr from his throat, remembering that when they were young Felix had told him that cat purrs made him happy. He hopes it still proves to be true.
“Sorry. Sorry. I..don’t know what came over me.” There’s red present high on his cheeks, shame burning bright on his face. Dimitri meows quietly and presses tightly against Felix’s chest, kneading his paws against his chest. Dimitri..can understand. He can’t remember the last time they just laid together, no expectations, no stress, just..calm. Dimitri also..can’t remember the last time he personally relaxed completely in Felix’s presence. Can’t remember the last time Felix relaxed enough in Dimitri’s presence to show emotion like this outside of nightmares in the middle of the night.
Dimitri doesn’t move, not even when Felix relaxes again. Felix doesn’t push him off, either. They lay there, for hours, until night starts to fall and the room grows cold. No one interrupts them. Dedue probably asked for Felix to be left alone. It was nice. They had a lot to do, yes, and there were probably things they should be doing instead of this but..it was nice.
Dimitri feels the moment Felix falls asleep and he curls himself up, feeling more tired than probably makes sense. He blames it on being turned into a cat. And..general stress of the day. He closes his eye and is only just barely aware of the vibrations in his chest as sleep claims him.
They can worry in the morning.