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Felix squeezes his eyes shut with enough force to draw his eyebrows together, willing desperately for his mind to shut itself off and allow his body even just a small semblance of rest. But alas, the seemingly ever growing anxiety building his chest makes the prospect of sleep an almost laughable notion.
He’s exhausted. He thinks that maybe he has always been exhausted in some way or another, just in varying magnitudes.
It’s the damn boar’s fault.
The words invade his psyche before he has a chance to stop them. He turns over roughly in his bed and stares intently at the leather wall of his tent. His eyes wander its surface before fixating on a small tear that age and rough weather conditions had started to eat away, the material threatening to peel entirely off. It’s a rather futile attempt to distract himself but at least it has worked in the past. He starts counting down from 100 in his mind. 100..99..98..97…..43….42…
I should go check on him.
The only move he makes is to pull the blanket around his bare arms tighter. The fabric protesting as it’s pulled too taut around his shoulders.
What time is it anyway? It has to be late, Dimitri has to have gone to sleep by now. He has no reason to worry. None at all. Felix breathes in again slowly, clearing his mind of all thoughts. However, the serenity is broken just as fast as it came as his brain is immediately assaulted by the image of Dimitri sitting at a war table alone as he works through piles of paperwork well into the late night.
He tears the blanket off and throws it angrily to the side before standing up off the bed.
“That damn boar.” He mumbles to himself as he goes through the motions of pulling a loose shirt over his head and slipping his feet into his boots. “I swear to the goddess above..” He rips the desk drawer open and rummages through it, pulling out a ribbon and sloppily tying his hair back. “If you are in there at this hour…” He mashes his teeth together in a scowl and shoves the flap of his tent open, making way for the war room.
The camp is eerily quiet. This is, in no doubt, due to the fact that the Kingdom army has just returned from a grueling mission earlier that day, everyone with even a semblance of common sense is probably resting. Felix clenches his fist, digging his nails into the inside of his palm. He's very much hoping that their King is one of those people.
He stands outside the war room doors, they’re propped very slightly ajar but he, thankfully, can’t hear any sound coming from inside. Though, there is a small light seeping out the crack of the door and illuminating the outside tiles. Felix sighs and pushes it all the way open, silently praying that it’s only Ashe or Annette studying late.
He was foolish to think there would have been any different of an outcome.
Dimitri hasn’t noticed Felix come in, as his back is turned to him. It’s almost uncanny how similar Felix’s imaginary horror scenario is to the real thing. Dimitri is, in fact, surrounded by piles of paperwork but the only difference is that he’s not actually doing any of it. Rather, he’s slumped forward over the war table, his arms wrapped tightly around each other as his head rests on top of them. His ink threatens to spill over onto his half-finished paperwork and a few loose sheets lay sprawled at his feet.
Felix can feel the annoyance bubble in his chest at the sight mixed with a feeling that he doesn’t want to dwell on for too long. He pushes down the initial reaction of wanting to loudly drag a chair back in order to wake the King up and decides to stay silent for a bit longer. He gingerly walks over to where Dimitri has fallen asleep and, as gently as he can, reaches over his head to place the teetering inkwell into a secure position.
He notes the way Dimitri looks more at ease than he’s seen him be in a long while. Loose strands of hair fall loosely over his eyes and just barely tickle the tip of his nose and each one of his slight exhales cause each piece to dance up and down rhythmically.
Felix’s heart stutters and his hands feel clammy, an uncomfortable lump forms in his throat that he swallows down. He should really just wake him up but for whatever reason, he hesitates. He wants to suspend this moment for just a little longer. He can even almost pretend that this is a facet of Dimitri that only he is able to witness.
He really is pretty like this. He thinks passively to himself. He crouches down so that he is eye level with the King and reaches out to gently sweep a strand of hair back that hangs in his face but stops himself just short of making contact. Felix lamely puts his hand down to his side.
“Boar.” Felix says at full volume, crossing his arms over his chest and standing back up.
Dimitri’s eyebrows squeeze together but his eyes don’t open, instead he just mumbles something unintelligible and burrows his face further into his arms.
Felix feels uncomfortably warm.
“Dimitri. Wake up.” He tries to keep his voice steady.
Dimitri peeks an eye open and groggily lifts his head, looking up at Felix with a confused expression. “Mmm..Felix?” He rubs his left eye with the heel of his palm, his voice rough with exhaustion. “What're you doing?”
Very much against Felix’s will, every bit of anger and frustration seems to immediately bleed out of him at the scene in front of him. He tries his best to maintain the same tone.
“Why the hell are you sleeping on piles of paperwork?” Felix roughly starts to gather the fallen pages into haphazard piles that he stacks up on the table next to Dimitri.
There is silence for a moment as Dimitri wakes up fully and looks around himself, gathering his bearings. “Ah. I am sorry. I got carried away and figured I could finish these by tonight. I suppose I was more tired than I had originally thought. I do apologize Felix.” Dimitri starts to make a move to stand up but his shoulders are pushed back down.
“Don’t.”
“But Felix I--.”
“Let me handle it.”
“Nonsense, just allow me to finish this one page---. Huh?” His eyes widen as he looks around wildly from side to side. “Ah, I seem to have misplaced it..” He looks up sheepishly at the swordsman.
Felix groans and runs a hand down his face, closing his eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath in before letting it out slowly. “Just leave it all here. We’ll come back to it in the morning.”
“We?” Dimitri’s eyebrow quirks up and a small smile ghosts onto his lips.
“Yes, we. Shut up. Obviously you need assistance.” He suppresses yet another annoyed groan as Dimitri’s smile widens.
“Very well. As you wish. But I really do have to finish looking over one document before the next mission.” Dimitri’s voice grows quieter. “It is rather important.” He punctuates his sentence by flitting his eyes down to the floor, almost as if he’s too shy to impose.
Felix silently pulls out the chair slightly adjacent to Dimitri and plops down onto it unceremoniously. “Alright. Which one?”
----
By the time the two had finished the brunt of Dimitri’s paperwork, it was well into the early morning. Dimitri had convinced Felix to stay and look over just a few more documents each time they had finished one and, of course, Felix had begrudgingly agreed. When he was finally able to drag the King to bed, the sun was just beginning to peak its way over the horizon.
Felix collapses onto his own bed, barely even having the wherewithal to kick off his boots and grab his discarded blanket. His eyes only close when he hears the rummaging in the tent next to his cease entirely.
Good. He sighs. He’s asleep. He lets himself relax.
----
“So. Let me get this straight. You stayed up the entire night with Dimitri doing paperwork?! Are you two insane? We have a mission tomorrow, what were you even thinking?” Shez rips a chunk out of a piece of bread with his teeth and chews on it obnoxiously, smacking his lips and subsequently causing Felix’s blood pressure to rise at a steady pace.
“Come on, Shez. You know Felix is incapable of saying no to Dimitri. I bet he roped him into it.” Sylvain teases as he approaches the pair holding a tray of food and wiggling his eyebrows with a big goofy grin plastered on his face. He takes a seat at the wooden table alongside Shez.
“Shut up. Both of you.” Felix rubs his temples. He had forgotten that he had to assist in maintaining equipment early in the morning. He was woken up about 3 hours later by Shez yelling about teamwork and the importance of being a reliable person outside his tent.
“Aw, come on Felix. You’re so obvious, it’s hilarious.” Sylvain nudges Shez’s arm and the other looks back at him confused.
“What are you talking about Sylvain? I’m trying to scold Felix, the least you can do is help out!” Shez exclaims, throwing his hands up.
Felix stares daggers at Sylvain, hoping that his expression is as intimidating as he feels. But Sylvain just meets his gaze with the same pointed look.
“Sylvain.” Felix’s throat tightens and he wills for his face to not go red. “Enough.”
“Come on Felix, lighten up!” Sylvain leans over the table, lowering his voice. “I can even help set you up with His Maje--OW!” Felix punches the redhead as hard as he can in his shoulder, hoping that physical violence will finally get him to give it a rest.
“Stop it you guys.” Shez pulls Sylvain’s collar back so he plops unceremoniously back into his seat. “Seriously, Felix. Get some rest. I’ll finish up with the equipment today.” He sighs. “Also tell Dimitri to do the same, I’m sure he is just as tired as you are.”
“Fine.” Felix clears his throat. “Thanks.” He adds, quieter.
---
They won’t leave his brain. No matter how hard he trains, no matter how diligently he focuses on his work, those goddess forsaken words will not leave his brain.
“Come on, Felix. You’re so obvious, it’s hilarious.”
How Sylvain can be so utterly idiotic while also being one of the sharpest individuals he’s ever met, still eludes him. Of course that imbecile was able to immediately see through the uncaring facade that Felix has tried to curate over the past 5 years. Now, if only Dimitri was able to see something so apparently “obvious” as well.
He grimaces as he puts so much pressure behind his next slash into the training dummy that it’s head plops with a loud thud onto the dirt ground.
“Seriously, Felix? You know, other people like to use those.” Ingrid scolds from beside him in the training grounds as she grooms her pegasus.
“Mm.” Felix just grumbles in response.
“What has you so worked up? I’ve seen you grumpy, but this is different entirely. You atleast make some sort of effort to say actual words on most days.” Ingrid snorts to herself, giving her pegasus a pat on the nose while simultaneously feeding her a handful of a specific type of feed that Marianne had suggested.
“I’m fine. Just tired.” Felix swings his sword at the decapitated dummy.
“Oh yes, of course. Everyone in camp has heard about you and His Majesty’s little sleepover last night. I swear, the two most important men in Faerghus are also the two stupidest. You both aren’t teenagers anymore with no responsibilities, you know.” She puts a hand on her hip, turning to face Felix fully.
“I’m sorry.” He grinds the words out, but they still have some sincerity to them. He really is sorry, the time just got away from him. Also maybe Dimitri’s pleading face played a small part on why he stayed so long…and maybe he just wanted to spend some more time alone with---he cuts his train of thought off before it gets too out of hand.
“Fine. I’ll let it go, for now.” Ingrid clicks her tongue. She is silent for a moment before an awkward lilt springs into her tone. “Speaking of His Majesty, he mentioned that he wanted to…to speak with you at some point today. Something about wanting to hear your opinion on the formations for tomorrow’s battle,” she adds quickly, “last I saw him he was in the war room.” She punctuates her sentence with a casual wave of her hand.
“And you tell me this now?” Felix looks at her incredulously.
Now it’s Ingrid’s turn to be apologetic. She puts a hand on the back of her neck. “It slipped my mind.” She shrugs.
Felix groans before immediately putting his sword back on the training racks, giving one last annoyed look to Ingrid before stalking off.
“He’s so damn obvious.” She coos to her pegasus once he is fully out of sight.
----
Felix pushes open the doors to the war room and curtly nods to the various knights walking in and out, he only really mumbles what can be interpreted, by some, as a greeting. He scans the room before his eyes land on Dimitri leaned over a war map, discussing something intently with Felix’s father.
Rodrigue looks up briefly and notices Felix approaching, he smiles brightly. “My son, perfect timing.”
“Ingrid said you wanted to discuss formations.” Felix says flatly, after briefly nodding to his father.
Dimitri looks up with a slightly confused expression. “I don’t recall...”
“We were just discussing the best route to take to the battlefield.” Rodrigue says hurriedly, cutting Dimitri off.
“Huh. Oh okay. Let me see.” Felix leans over the map so that the two men’s faces are so close that Felix’s ponytail threatens to tickle the King’s nose. He leans his weight on his right hand which is dangerously close to Dimitri’s own.
Dimitri grips the edge of the table a bit tighter and tries to maintain a normal tone. “Well, Rodrigue suggested that this route would be better for the horses due to the flatter terrain.” He clears his throat. “But this route…” He slides his free hand’s finger down the map slowly, “this route is faster and more efficient, it’ll give us an advantage if we want to utilize the element of surprise.” He speaks lower than usual, as if the two are discussing something much less monotonous.
Felix, seemingly oblivious to Dimitri’s nervousness, furrows his eyebrows and lifts a hand to his chin. “I’m sure if we just leave earlier, we can still make better time if we take the route that is easier on the horses.” He looks up, seemingly now just noticing how close their faces truly are to each other. He goes a dark shade of crimson.
Rodrigue bursts into a fit of barely suppressed giggles from beside them.
Felix backs up a few inches. “What?” He says sharply.
“Nothing of particular note, do not worry. I was simply recalling an amusing thing Sylvain had said earlier.” Rodrigue changes the subject almost seamlessly. “I think my son is correct, Your Majesty. I do not think leaving earlier will be an issue.”
“Yes. Of course. Alright. It is decided. I’ll have a few people get the word around camp that we will meet before dawn.” Dimitri hesitates. “Felix, one more thing.”
“Hm?”
“I have decided that you and I are to lead the charge this time so please remain…” He coughs into his hand, obscuring his reddening complexion. “Please remain close to me.”
“As you wish.” Felix puts a fist over his chest and bows, ignoring the erratic beat of his heart.
----
Earlier that day:
“I swear to the Goddess, it’s driving me absolutely insane!” Sylvain throws his hands up in the air dramatically, slamming them back down on the table and groaning.
Ingrid stifles a laugh as she continues to sort through some documents with Sylvain. The two were paired up for organizing paperwork duty but really, it just devolved into a gossip session.
“Well Sylvain, what can we even do about it? Those two are probably the most oblivious men in all of Fodlan, especially when it comes to feelings.” She jabs the redhead in the side with her elbow. “Hey, you better get your ass into gear. You don’t work, you don’t eat.” She smirks.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know.” Sylvain picks up another stack of papers and starts to sort through them, and for a while, there is silence as the two work side by side.
“Hey, Ingrid…” His tone turns devious despite the wide grin spread across his face.
“What now?”
“What if we tried to set them up?”
This catches Ingrid’s attention and she stops her work for a moment to look at Sylvain with an eyebrow raised. “And how do you propose we do that?” She tries to act annoyed but her tone betrays her curiosity.
“Well, we don’t really have to do much besides urge them together and hopefully they catch the hint.” He puts a hand on his chin. “Let’s just try to get them to interact as much as possible.”
“But that won’t be enough. I’ve known those two long enough to know that we have to do something drastic inorder for them to even get the semblance of a hint and even that might not be enough.” She sighs, resting a hand on her cheek. “It’s just so annoying that everyone can see it but them.”
Sylvain is quiet for a moment, thinking. “I bet I can set up a few situations that’ll force them into a realization or two…. For now, just focus on getting them together as much as possible.”
“Alright, fine. I call dibs on Felix. There’s no way he’ll listen to you.”
“Good idea, Ingrid. That’s why you’re my girl!” Sylvain exclaims, standing up abruptly and causing a few loose leaf sheets to fall off the table.
Ingrid goes a slight tinge of red before smacking Sylvain’s shoulder.
Meanwhile, Rodrigue stands with his back to the otherside of the wall, listening unintentionally to the pair’s conversation and chuckling into his fist.
----
Present:
He really should take a nap. He’s been on the go seemingly all day. Between doing chores and being sent on multiple wild goose chases by Ingrid because apparently, “Dimitri requests for his assistance,” it has completely tired him out, more than he thought was possible.
But it’s already fairly late and taking a nap now would mean he won’t be able to have a proper sleep later. He rubs the side of his face with a gloved hand as he walks towards the bathhouse, at least he can get a bit of relaxation with a bath, maybe even doze a little.
It’s late enough that he is certain that there is no one else in the baths tonight. He passed by Sylvain as he was walking the same way and, for a moment, he was slightly annoyed. Felix has always hated sharing his space with other people, especially when he just wants to unwind and wash the day’s grease and grime off. Luckily, Sylvain just waved with an unnaturally wide grin and immediately ran off in the other direction.
He steps into the bathhouse hesitantly, looking around for signs of any other people. When he finds none, he visibly deflates and approaches the various wooden tubs filled with warm water. It seems that whoever was incharge of bath duty today had just finished refilling the tubs. This causes Felix to genuinely smile and he feels a small excitement build in his chest for the first time in a long while.
He gives a pleased hum and it takes everything in him not to start singing one of Annette’s songs as he strips off his clothes and neatly folds them into a pile beside one of the tubs. He makes sure to tie his hair into a haphazard clump on the top of his head before slowly climbing into the water. He can’t help the sigh that rips out of him as he fully submerges himself up to his chin. The water slightly lapping up at his face as it settles.
He relishes in the feeling of the warmth enveloping him, completely content as he shuts his eyes. He really could fall asleep in this tub if he isn’t careful.
“Sylvain?” A voice calls from the entrance of the bathhouse, breaking Felix out of his trance.
Felix grumbles and turns his head lazily, immediately freezing when he sees Dimitri looking around with a confused expression. When Dimitri spots him, they lock eyes and Felix raises an eyebrow.
“Ah. Hello Felix. Have you..uh, seen Sylvain? He told me, in rather a rush I will say, to meet him here.” Dimitri places a hand on the back of his neck, pointedly looking to the side and at the ground.
“I saw him running in the opposite direction earlier.” Felix remarks, scoffing. He doesn’t seem to notice the red dusting the tops of Dimitri’s cheeks.
“Oh. I suppose he changed his mind about bathing then. I’ll leave you be.” Dimitri turns to walk out.
“Why don’t you just stay and bathe too?” Felix says, hurriedly. “Weren’t you going to with Sylvain anyway?” He adds, blood slowly creeping up his neck.
“Yes. I just figured that you wanted your privacy.” Dimitri clears his throat.
“It’s fine.” Felix sighs, turning back around and sinking his chin further into the water, he closes his eyes again. It really is fine, if it’s Dimitri then he doesn’t really mind…much.
Dimitri uses this chance to fumble as he quickly strips and steps into the water, deciding to go to the other side of the wooden tub from Felix. His clothes are placed in a sort of haphazard pile next to Felix’s neat one.
The two are silent as they both relax into the warm water and Dimitri gives a pleased sigh. A small smile ghosts onto his lips as he watches Felix grab a bar of soap to lather over his neck and upper chest. Felix glides the bar rather slowly over his skin, seemingly not in much of a hurry.
“What are you staring at, boar?” Felix says without looking up, focusing on running the soap down his outstretched arm. He pays extra attention to the middle of each of his fingers, making sure the soap reaches every crevice.
“Nothing in particular.” He chuckles a bit, outstretching his arms back to rest on the edge of the tub. “I just find your attention to detail fascinating to watch.”
Felix stops his ministrations for a moment and looks up. “Fascinating to watch?”
Dimitri clears his throat awkwardly but doubles down. “Yes. You’ve always been very meticulous in what you do. I admire that.”
“Well you’ve always been slovenly and boarish. Someone has to even it out.” Felix’s hair threatens to fall out the mess on the top of his head as he twists around to rub the soap on the backs of his shoulders. He recieves simply just a chuckle in response.
After watching for a little, Dimitri’s gaze softens. “Do you need help?”
Felix stops moving and twists back around slowly. “With what?” He says evenly.
“I could help wash your back. It is rather hard to reach.” Dimitri says matter of factly. “And you seem to be struggling.” He holds back a laugh but fails, pointing to his head. “Your hair is about to fall out.”
Felix’s brain stutters for a moment as he tries to make sense of Dimitri’s offer. Wash his back? Is he just trying to be helpful? Does Dimitri even understand the implications of what he’s saying?
“Okay.” He says finally.
“Come here.” Dimitri says softly.
Felix moves closer until the two men are about a half of a foot apart, handing Dimitri the bar of soap and turning around. He focuses on evening his breathing so that when Dimitri makes contact, he doesn’t end up letting out an embarrassing gasp.
Dimitri gently places the bar of soap over the top of Felix’s spine and runs it down slowly, stopping just above the small of his back. Felix has to suppress a shiver but he figures that this is the best case scenario. His hair still threatens to fall down but he ignores it, focusing instead on his reflection in the water.
“Do you remember when we were children?” Dimitri runs the soap back up and wipes small circles over Felix’s shoulder blade.
“Obviously.”
“Remember that time when we got snowed in on the mountains? I really thought we were going to die that day.” Dimitri sighs, “that is until Rodrigue and Glenn found us huddled up together amidst the frost.”
“That was probably the worst scolding I ever got.” Felix cracks a smile, hidden from Dimitri’s view but his playful tone gives him away.
“That’s right, isn’t it? You took all the blame, you even told them that you begged me to come with you! But really, it was me who wanted to go hunting by myself for the first time and you refused to let me go alone.” Dimitri chuckles to himself, stopping his movement. He leans a bit closer to the back of Felix’s head so that his nose only just barely ghosts over the other man’s hair.
“Thank you, Felix.” Dimitri speaks barely above a whisper and Felix realizes just how close he really is. “You never let me do anything alone.”
“I’m your shield.” Felix continues to stare down at the water, lifting his hand slightly and causing it to ripple. “It’s my duty.” He says quieter.
“Of course.” Dimitri backs away and places the bar of soap down beside the bath. “But even so.” His tone is infinitely fond.
Whatever spell Felix was under has now been broken and he nods, moving back to his side of the wooden tub. “It’s late.” He says dumbly.
“You should go to sleep. I promise I will go to bed right after I finish washing up.” Dimitri raises his hands in surrender, adding the last part of his sentence when he notices Felix about to scold him.
Felix looks at Dimitri with an eyebrow raised. “You better. No last minute paperwork. You need to be well rested for the mission tomorrow.”
“Yes, yes, Felix. Do not worry.” Dimitri’s sentence is laced with a teasing tone.
Felix decides to leave it be, too mentally exhausted to press the issue any further. “Alright, well. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He says as he climbs out of the water and wraps a towel around his waist.
“See you tomorrow.”
----
Felix was unable to get a proper sleep last night.
It’s the damn boar’s fault.
It’s actually always the damn boar’s fault. Everytime he tried to fall asleep, he was continuously assaulted by images of Dimitri leaning down close to him in the bathhouse. And every single time they would cause him to immediately wrench his eyes open, heart beating erratically.
He yawns as he gathers with the small group of soldier’s outside camp, everyone preparing last minute for their trek to the battlefield. He spots Sylvain and Ingrid playfully shoving each other around as they pack supplies on each of their steads. They seem in great spirits despite the early hour, how those two manage to be filled with energy almost constantly will always be a mystery to Felix.
They should just confess already. He thinks passively.
Sylvain spots him and jogs over, slamming an open palm into Felix’s back. “Hey buddy! Looks like me and Ingrid will be backing you and Dimitri up on the front lines!”
Felix groans. “And who’s idea was that?”
Sylvain fakes a wounded expression and places a hand over his heart. “Don’t be like that, Felix! It was actually Rodrigue who suggested we stick close to you two! Something about people with the strongest bonds will be your most valuable allies on the battlefield.” Sylvain beams.
“Sylvain, you might want to stop bothering him. He looks like he might stab someone besides the enemy if pushed too far, judging by those eye bags.” Ingrid walks up behind the pair and nudges Sylvain, gesturing that they go back to their steeds.
“I’m fine. It’s fine, I’m…glad you two are watching our backs.” Felix mumbles out.
Both Ingrid and Sylvain raise their eyebrows at the same time. “Wow Felix, you must really be tired. You sure you’re good to fight?” Sylvain crouches down a bit to get a closer look at Felix’s eyes.
Felix shoos him away. “Stop it Sylvain. I’m fine, seriously.”
“If you feel like you’re not up to it, let us know and we’ll cover your retreat. Do not needlessly put yourself in danger.” Ingrid says sternly.
Felix nods seriously and that seems to appease the two of them. “Alright Sylvain, let’s leave him be.” Ingrid grabs Sylvain’s arm and pulls him away before giving Felix one last serious look.
Once the two are out of sight, Felix visibly lets out a breath. Those two do genuinely care for his wellbeing, so he can’t really muster the energy to be that angry. He scans the crowd before his gaze lands on a certain blonde, discussing something in depth with Shez. Their backs are turned to him but it seems like they are debating something. He walks up and their conversation becomes clearer.
“Listen, I really think that you should let me or another one of the Kingdom soldiers help lead the charge on the front lines alongside you and Felix. I’m not trying to say you two need the extra backup but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. I mean you’re the King and the Duke!” Shez talks faster the more exasperated he gets, throwing his hands up to punctuate the end of his sentence.
“Believe me, Shez. I understand your concerns. However, this mission is not expected to be a particularly challenging one. We are simply eliminating bandits in one of our territories, we don’t even need that many soldiers.” He chuckles. “Between you and me, I think Felix is going a little stir crazy. Just yesterday, it seemed like he shuffled through every excuse to talk with me.” He says with a fond smile.
“Okay well Dimitri---.”
“Stir crazy?” Felix makes his presence known and the pair turn around. Dimitri’s face has gone red but he keeps his composure.
“Felix! Wouldn’t you feel better if you had a few more people on the front lines with you two?” Shez says exasperated.
“What do you mean by 'stir crazy?’” Felix crosses his arms over his chest, cocking his head slightly to the side so his pony tail swishes over his shoulder.
“Ah. I only meant that you seemed a bit restless. I thought this would be a good opportunity for you to get away from the paperwork and stretch your legs some.” Dimitri turns to Shez, cutting off any rebuttal Felix may have. “Shez, do not worry. Ingrid and Sylvain will watch our rear while the rest of the group circles around. Again, it will only be a group of bandits. It will be alright, I promise.”
Something in Dimitri’s tone puts Shez at ease. It may just be the confident air that he exudes, whatever it was, it caused the purple haired swordsman to drop the subject. “Fine. Do as you wish. I can’t argue with the King I suppose.” He huffs and crosses his arms. “Annie and I are on kitchen duty so we’ll definitely have something delicious for you guys when you return.” He smiles, putting a fist up in determination.
“Thank you Shez. I look forward to it.” Dimitri says cheerfully. “I believe it’s about time we move out!”
----
The march is rather uneventful. A big portion of their army stayed behind to occupy camp and fend off any potential ambushes. So, there wasn’t too much strenuous strategizing that went into their formation. Dimitri and Felix lead the charge, Ingrid and Sylvain follow behind, and the rest of the battalion back them up. Simple. So why is it that Felix can’t shake this uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach? Best he just stays close to Dimitri.
“It’s not much farther.” Dimitri says over his shoulder, trying to catch Felix’s gaze.
Felix simply grunts in response, hastening his pace slightly but he comes to an abrupt stop right as he is about to slam face first into Dimitri’s back as the King decides to suddenly stop walking.
“What the he--.”
“Shh.” Dimitri cuts him off, lifting a finger to his lips. “Do you hear that?” His voice is slightly above a whisper.
Felix strains his ears and can just barely make out a slight humming coming from their left, deep into the brush of the woods. Sylvain and Ingrid seem to have gotten the memo as well as they both had stopped their steeds a little ways behind the two. Sylvain silently signals the rest of the battalion to halt with a raise of his hand.
“Should we rush in?” Felix whispers sharply.
“We do not know if it is a thief or simply a villager.” Dimitri thinks for a moment. “Let’s investigate.” Before Felix can protest, Dimitri is making way towards the singing, lance at the ready.
“Boar, I swear to--.” Felix jogs to catch up with him and the two are side by side, careful to conceal the sounds of their footsteps as best they can. Felix risks a look behind his shoulder and notes Sylvain’s position just outside the trees, guarding the perimeter. Ingrid flies overhead to scan around the two but her view is partially obscured by the thick foliage, the rest of the battalion stands at the ready for the signal to move on their position.
Dimitri, however, is honed in on his target and ignoring the world around him; opting instead to continue moving towards where he had heard the humming. Felix has little other choice but to follow close behind.
There’s a flash of movement to their right and Felix shouts out, both men breaking out into a run and changing course to pursue the figure. His shout alerts Sylvain and the rest of the group break into the woods to back the two up.
The trees open up eventually to reveal a small babbling creek running horizontally in front of them, there they see the source of the singing. A young girl, she looks to not be older than early teens, stands knee deep in the water and scrubbing at various pieces of clothing. She looks up and squeals as she sees the two men barreling towards her.
Dimitri puts a hand up with an apologetic smile, stopping himself mid jog and lowering his lance. “We are very sorry for the intrusion. But have you seen a bandit or group of bandits around this area?” He says, panting slightly.
“N..no sir.” She says quietly, backing up out of the water and onto land.
Dimitri takes another step forward, one foot in the creek as he tries to make his tone softer. “We’re sorry for frightening you. It’s just that there was a group of bandits that were sighted in this area recently so it’s not the safest.” He reaches out a hand. “Allow us to escort you back to---.”
He’s cut off by a shout coming from behind them. “Dimitri! Felix! In here!” Sylvain calls out, and the sound of a metal clashing with metal rings throughout the woods.
“Run in the opposite direction.” Dimitri yells to the girl before immediately turning on his heel to sprint towards Sylvain and the others.
Felix swears and follows close behind. When the two break through the trees once more, they are surrounded by a group of bandits as they engage various Kingdom soldiers in battle.
Ingrid hovers overhead, weaving through trees and stabbing at as many of them as she can see while Sylvain struggles below to fend off a particularly strong bandit. He had dismounted his horse inorder to move better but it also put him at a height disadvantage and he was now being slightly overtaken and struggling to hold the man off.
Dimitri notices this and runs to Sylvain’s aid, but before Felix can follow, he’s cut off by another bandit swinging a sword in front of his path. He parries the sword with his own and pushes all of his body weight against it, causing the bandit to fall onto his back.
“Get out of the way!” Felix shouts before plunging his sword down into the man and sprinting towards his two childhood friends. Dimitri had succeeded in fending off the bandit who was giving Sylvain trouble but the two were now stuck in a standoff with two axe wielders.
Dimitri takes down one almost effortlessly with a thrust of his lance and swivels around to parry an axe aimed for Sylvain’s head.
“Thanks.” Sylvain huffs, a smile stretching onto his features.
There is little time for Dimitri to respond as the other axe wielder comes to assault him from behind, swinging the weapon down towards his shoulder. Felix is able to shove Dimitri out of the way and jump in front of the man in the moment before the axe makes contact with Dimitri’s shoulder, parrying it with his sword. However, the man is much bigger and stronger than the swordsman, he soon finds himself struggling to push him off entirely. Dimitri is momentarily shoved forward and he whips around to see Felix threatening to topple over by the weight of the man above him.
The man pushes his axe harder against Felix’s sword, causing him to lose his footing and topple backwards, his grip on his sword slips and it drops to the side.
“Felix--.” Dimitri shouts, panicked.
Felix throws his hands up to protect his face as the axe comes down to slice cleanly into the flesh of his palm.
“Felix!” Dimitri roars as he throws his lance to plunge into the bandit’s chest, instantly felling him. He falls down to his knees, grabbing Felix’s shoulders.
“I’m fine.” Blood drips steadily off Felix’s fingers onto the ground below.
“You are not fine. Let me see your hand.” He says gruffly. He grabs Felix’s arm and wrenches it around palm face up to get a closer look, ignoring Felix’s protests.
Felix snatches his hand back. “Dimitri, stop.” He says flustered. “Let’s just take down the remaining few first.” His voice softens. “I promise, I’m alright.”
Before Dimitri can respond, Felix is standing up and jogging towards Sylvain and the other Kingdom soldiers. “What’s the status?” He says out of breath, coming to a stop in front of Sylvain.
“Well, I’m having Ingrid scan for any of them that decided to turn tail and run off but for now, that should be the last of them.” Sylvain’s eyes trail down to the blood dripping off Felix’s sleeve. “Goddess Felix, go sit down or something.” He says exasperated. “Let me grab a vulnerary from my supplies. Wait here.” Sylvain runs off towards his horse who is tied to a tree just outside the woods.
Felix’s head swims as the adrenaline slowly starts to dissipate and he’s left with his bone aching exhaustion in its place. That mixed with pretty significant blood loss causes him to sway where he stands. He reaches his good hand out to hold on to a nearby tree, trying desperately to catch his bearings and not pass out. He doesn’t hear Dimitri approach but only feels hands wrap around his torso from behind which snaps him out of his daze.
“M’what are you doing?” His voice slurs slightly.
“You need to sit down.” Dimitri lifts Felix off his feet and gently places him down to lean against the trunk of the tree, he bends down so that they are eye level. “Give me your hand.”
Felix, too out of it to protest, weakly reaches out his hand which Dimitri takes in his own. The bleeding has stopped for the most part, but it’s still a pretty deep gash.
Sylvain comes running up to the two of them with a vulnerary, bandages and a small canteen of water in hand. He sets the supplies down next to the wounded Felix and nods before running off without a word. Dimitri raises an eyebrow at this but decides to let it go for the time being. He picks up the vulnerary and lifts it to Felix’s lips.
Felix scoffs weakly. “I can…do it myself, boar.” He reaches up to wrap his good hand around Dimitri’s hand holding the potion. He takes a deep swig of the mixture, inadvertently lifting Dimitri’s hand up along with his own.
“That should stop the bleeding entirely. But you still are going to suffer from blood loss until we get you back and to a proper healer.” He sighs. “You really did not have to jump in front of that axe.” Dimitri scolds, his eyebrows knitting together in slight worry and frustration.
In any normal circumstance, Felix would probably snap back at Dimitri almost immediately, but right now he struggles to just hold on to lucidity. He finds that staring at Dimitri’s face is more or less grounding him. So, he does just that. He stares at Dimitri, eyes half lidded, body slumped against the trunk of a tree, and completely silent.
“Felix?” Dimitri surges forward to place both hands on Felix’s shoulders, steadying him upright.
Felix mumbles a bit to himself, eyes threatening to close all the way. “Mm…retty.”
“It will be alright Felix. Just hold on.”
Felix feels a hand slip underneath his knees and a strong arm wrap around his back as he’s hoisted up. He lazily moves his head to the side to look up at Dimitri’s face as the other man looks down to meet his gaze. “Pre--tty...” Felix promptly passes out in the King’s arms.
----
“Today’s meal is beef stew~! For dessert is some sweets that I love to eats~~! Where, oh, where? On the other side of the river~one by o--AUGGHHH SHEZ! HELP!” Annette screeches as the big pot of stew she was stirring teeters and falls against the floor, splashing its contents all over the camp’s kitchen.
Shez had just walked back in from going to quickly fetch a few missing ingredients from across camp when he saw the disaster unfold in front of him, only seconds too late to prevent it. Both of them just stand in silence for a moment, staring at the mess in front of them.
“I-I was gone for one second…” Shez says defeated, falling to his knees.
“I’m so sorry! I swear I’ll clean this up myself! Don’t worry--you don’t have to-- AUGHHH.” Shez is able to catch Annette by the arm just in time before she faceplants on the floor after slipping in the wasted stew.
“It’s fine, Annie.” He hoists her up alongside himself like she weighs nothing. “We can clean it up together. We’ll just make the next batch simpler so hopefully it’ll be done before the army gets back.” He sighs, rolling his sleeves up.
“Alright.” Annette says deflated. “Sorry again.” She pouts, grabbing a towel and crouching down.
After some time, the two have a sparkling kitchen and a new pot of stew above the stove. Shez makes sure to stand next to Annette at all times now, careful not to make the same mistake.
“You know, we make a pretty good team!” Annette beams, a slight spring to her step as she walks over to the spice rack, carefully considering which ones would make the flavor of the new stew pop the best.
“I think so too.” Shez says fondly, mixing the pot carefully and keeping a close eye on Annette’s movements.
She decides on a few and gathers them in her arms, humming softly as she double checks the labels to make sure they are the correct ones. She then promptly drops them all.
“S-Shez LOOK!” She exclaims before Shez can scold her. He follows her gaze to see the Kingdom army marching back into camp and being led by Dimitri carrying an unconscious Duke in his arms. He watches dumbfounded as the two disappear into the medical tent.
“You have to be kidding me!” He almost knocks the stew off the stove.
----
Dimitri carefully lays the unconscious Felix on one of the beds in the medical tent, gently fluffing the pillow below the other man's head and mindlessly brushing a strand of black hair out of his eyes.
He moves out of the way as Mercedes quickly attends to Felix, working to entirely patch up the gash on his palm and also a few minor cuts and bruises. She huffs once she finishes, turning around to address Dimitri who was stood quietly in the corner of the tent and watching nervously as she did her work. “He just lost a bit of blood. He'll be fine." She assures him. "Make sure he eats a big meal when he wakes up.” She crosses her arms. “You should also eat something filling Dimitri, you know small portions of bread and scraps here and there aren’t going to do it.”
Dimitri bows his head. “Of course, Mercedes. I promise to eat and to make him eat something as well. You have my word.”
Mercedes nods and places a hand on Dimitri’s shoulder. “I’ll leave you two be. You probably have much to discuss.” She smiles warmly, not giving Dimitri a chance to respond before she slips out of the tent, leaving him confused by her words.
Dimitri stands in place for a moment, just content in watching the gentle up and down of Felix’s chest as he breathes peacefully in his sleep. He eventually decides to approach the bed, grabbing a nearby chair and pulling it up alongside it before sitting down with a huff.
At first, his gaze just trails up Felix’s face, focusing on his eyelashes before he fixates on a small mole on his neck. The mark starkly contrasts his pale skin, something he has always been secretly self conscious of ever since childhood.
“You’re beautiful.” He says, barely above a whisper. Felix has always been beautiful. From the young crybaby child he once was, to the dignified and refined man he is today, Dimitri has always looked at Felix with the utmost love and fondness.
Dimitri leans forward, resting his cheek on Felix's palm and closing his eyes.
----
Felix groans, reaching up to place a hand on his head but his movement is stopped short as he feels a weight pushing it down. He looks down and his eyes widen when he sees Dimitri fast asleep, his cheek being caressed by Felix's hand.
He stays silent for a moment, taking in how Dimitri’s cheek smashes against the flesh of his palm, leaving a slightly red mark. He can’t help the smile that finds its way onto his lips.
“Dimitri.” He tries to sound annoyed.
Dimitri’s eyes shoot open. “Felix?!” He immediately sits up, much to Felix’s disappointment. “Felix are you alright?”
“I’m fine, boar.” He deflates. “Just tired.”
“Please, get some rest. I’ll make sure there’s some stew left over for you when you awaken.” He goes to stand up but is stopped by a hand wrapping around his wrist. “Felix?”
Felix mumbles something, turning his head to the side so his face is out of view.
“What?” Dimitri lowers back down into the seat, putting a gentle hand over the one grabbing him.
“I said. Don’t. Go.” Felix grinds out.
“But I should really go get you some fo--.”
“Dimitri, please.”
Dimitri sighs and relaxes fully back in his chair. “Alright.” He says quietly.
The two sit in silence for a moment as Felix tries to will his face to return to a normal color. He doesn’t notice the way Dimitri fondly stares at him, eyes lingering on each of his features. "Felix." He says hushed.
Dimitri takes Felix's hand again, lifting it to his lips. Felix makes no move, just watching Dimitri closely, eyes as wide as saucers. Dimitri gently presses a kiss to the back of Felix's hand , nuzzling his cheek against it. His tone turns serious. "I'm glad you're alright."
"Boar. What are you doing?" Felix sits up farther in the bed, not yet snatching his hand away.
"I'm sorry. Just let me stay like this for a little longer." Dimitri's tone hinges slightly on pleading.
There's silence for a moment as Dimitri continues to hold Felix's hand before he breaks the tension. "It's always been you, Felix."
Felix can feel his face redden. "Shut up boar." He surges forward, pressing a kiss to a surprised Dimitri. It's not fair. He thinks while relishing in the softness of Dimitri's lips, the way they so perfectly fit into his own.
They break apart, both panting and trying to catch their breath. "It's always been you too."
----
EXTRA:
"Holy shit." Ingrid whispers sharply to Sylvain during a war meeting after spotting Dimitri reach under the table and grab Felix's hand. "Did they finally---"
"I have one last announcement to make if you will all lend me your ear for just a few moments longer." Dimitri announces to the war table, grabbing the attention of everyone in attendance.
"I would formally like to announce my courting of the Duke of Fraldarius, he and I---."
"BOAR!" Felix surges up from his chair, diving to shove his hand over Dimitri's mouth.
"Well I'll be damned. You were right." Sylvain says dumbfounded to Ingrid, still staring straight at the Duke and the King. "Did my bath trick work or something?"
"Bath trick?" Felix takes his hand off Dimitri's mouth. "Wait..." He starts to put the pieces together in his mind. "GAUTIER!"
Sylvain quickly jumps out of his seat after winking cheekily to Felix and running for the door. As Felix runs to follow, he's stopped by a hand wrapping around his wrist. "Don't go." Dimitri says fondly and Felix doesn't have it in him to argue.