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The concept of taking time to rest and relax still felt a little strange to Dimitri, but it was the purest truth that doing so always felt like the very best part of his day.
Yes, the best part of the day was night, when dinner and a relaxing bath had been had and Byleth had successfully convinced him to join her in their bed. They had been married for only a few weeks, but Dimitri had noticed that the nightmares that used to torment him every night now came only rarely.
And he had no doubt as to who had brought this bliss to him.
Dimitri rolled over onto his side so he could face Byleth. She was snuggling a little deeper under the blankets as she smiled sweetly at him.
“Feeling better now?” she asked. Just hearing her voice was the most wonderful music Dimitri had ever heard.
“Of course,” he said, snuggling up close to her. “Everything in this world is better with you close by.”
Byleth let out a contented sigh as she sank into the pillow. “I’m glad the moonlight comes in through our bedroom window,” she said. “Then I can smile at you before we go to sleep.”
Dimitri stroked her cheek. “I feel just the same way.”
Byleth adjusted her position slightly, and her hand gently moved along him. Her fingers brushed against his scarred shoulder, a remnant of their final battle, but her gentle touch when she’d first seen it on their wedding night had caused all of the remaining pain in it to fade away, never to return. Dimitri smiled, feeling the warmth of her hand even through his nightshirt.
Her hand moved to his chest, tracing the base of his throat and feeling his slow, calm breathing. And then she reached his heart. Her eyes widened slightly when she felt his heartbeat against her hand, but then she began to smile. Byleth kept her palm against his heart, looking directly at the place where her hand now rested.
“My love?” said Dimitri.
“Oh…” Byleth looked up at him. “Sorry. I just…I’ve never tried feeling your heart before. It’s…nice.”
Dimitri gazed into her pale green eyes, noticing the expression in them. Byleth had told him only recently that her heart never beat, and she’d looked away while she said it, as if having no heartbeat made her sad. After his initial shock, Dimitri had embraced her, and he’d heard her catch her breath when she felt some of his heartbeat against her own chest as he held her.
But she was right: despite their frequent hugs and cuddles, she’d never tried actually touching his heart or consciously feeling it beat.
Perhaps now was a good time to start.
“Would you like to listen?” he asked softly.
Her eyes widened again at that. But Dimitri recognized that soft, shy gaze from when she touched his scars or helped him with his eyepatch.
She wanted to.
“You’re all right with that?” she asked.
“Of course I am,” said Dimitri, adjusting his position so she could more easily come in. “Please…listen for as long as you like.”
Byleth smiled shyly as she snuggled up against him, turning her head so that she could listen to his heartbeat. Dimitri put his arms around her and held her close to him, smiling as her expression grew softer and happier at the sound of his heart.
It felt so wonderful to make her happy. She had done so much for him, while he had at his worst and his best and everything in between. And it still hurt when he thought of the way he had treated her before she saved him from the darkness, even though she had told him more than once that she had forgiven him long ago.
He wanted a way to help her, to show his love and gratitude for her. He wanted to do something, be it ever so small, to say, You are the reason I am still here. You are the reason I am who I am today. You are…everything to me.
Allowing her to listen to his heartbeat seemed so small in comparison to all that she had done for him. But as he watched her snuggle in close and felt her relax in his arms, he realized that listening to his heartbeat comforted her, the way holding her hand comforted him.
He gently stroked her hair and let out a contented sigh. As he beamed down at her, he wondered if they would drift off in this position. Would Byleth awaken the next morning still listening to his heartbeat?
Dimitri knew that soon he would drift off in this wonderful warmth. But before he fell asleep, there was something he needed to say.
“My heart…is always here,” he whispered. “Always with you. Please listen to my heartbeat…whenever you wish.”
Byleth blinked sleepily and turned to smile up at him.
“Thank you, my love,” she whispered. “...My heart.”
She turned her head once again and kissed his chest, right over his beating heart. Dimitri’s face felt warm as he broke into another loving smile.
“Hm,” she said. “It’s beating a little faster now.”
“Only from your lovely surprise,” said Dimitri. “But soon it will…grow calm again.” His eyes closed. “Good night…my beloved.”
As he breathed in and out, drifting off to sleep, his last thoughts were that this gift he could give to her was truly meant to be. His heart had always belonged to her, after all.
My love…my heart…