coffee hell 4

[warmskies]

"So you're the boyfriend, huh?"

Wow, he's getting called out so early in the morning already? Claude can't help be a little amused, and meets the almost combative gaze of the guy standing on the other side of the counter. Or maybe it's just his whole personality that's combative. After all-

"And you're Felix, I'm guessing?" The same very good friend that Dimitri has no end of stories about, which matches the amount of praise he has, too. It's some sort of friendship if one of the individuals involved can admit the other is antagonistic but one of the best people around. "I can't think of many other guys who'd just poke into my dating life out of nowhere besides a friend of Dimitri's." Especially one who apparently has all the social graces of a cat, which is really far less than any non-cat owner would assume. And, anyway, Claude had seen him on some of Annette and Mercedes' move-in pictures.

Nothing's been said about gossip, but apparently Felix has as sharp a mind as his tongue allegedly is. His eyes narrow slightly. "What did that thick skulled boar say," he mutters to himself, which, can Claude just say? Is a hell of a nickname for really anyone to have. He is dying to ask more, only for Felix to raise his voice to proper conversational levels again. "I'll just have a venti black. Nothing else."

Somehow, that really does seem to fit this guy's personality- and not the bitter part either. Grinning, Claude rings him up. "Won't take a second." And in the meanwhile... Like he always does at his job, Claude people watches. He watches two people in particular as Felix immediately makes his way over to where Dimitri has set up shop in much the same corner as before when he'd visited with Ashe. By drinks alone, they'd be a kind of funny opposing pair, and their appearances only add to the dissimilarities.

On one hand, you have Dimitri: tall, broad shouldered, golden hair and a soft but tentative blue eye, cradling a non-sweetened green tea lemonade in one hand while he inputs some things onto his phone. A diet tracker, Claude has come to learn, and a notekeeping app for what happens throughout his day.

Then, on the opposite end, Felix is a head, maybe half a head shorter, but he holds himself far differently. There's no careful caution to his stride, smooth and sharp, all unthinking confidence. His hair is dark, pulled back and restrained to counter Dimitri's own loose strands, and they draw out the brightness of amber orange eyes. He doesn't seem to hesitate on anything, lightly smacking Dimitri's shoulder as he reaches the table. In a small coffee shop like this, the warm buzz of too many conversations at once drowns out whatever he says, yet it's still clear he's berating the blond.

But it's berating him in a way that draws the two of them all the closer, Felix hitting his shoulder only to lean against it in short order, and Dimitri smiles at him in turn. During their first date, Dimitri had mentioned how important all of his friends were to him, but some more than others he had only gotten to reconcile with in relatively recently. Felix's name had cropped up around then. Right now, watching the two of them lean against each other and Felix's almost protective stance hovering over Dimitri.... Claude has a feeling that, whatever has happened, they've managed to deal with it well enough.

Which is good. Seeing the quiet relief on Dimitri's face when he thinks no one is looking almost makes Claude feel relieved enough on his own, even knowing only scraps so far.

All he really came in for the Golden Deer for was to cover part of someone's shift for a short while before taking the day off. Once his coworker arrives, hastily apologizing and thanking him in equal turns, Claude is in the back and out of his work clothes in a heartbeat. All of it is just warm enough.... to not be warm enough at all. Claude knows that will change once they're in the protest proper. With how big he expects it to be, that just means more people crowded together, and all the activity? That's sure to get him heated up. He's just not looking forward to the interim.

He is, however, looking forward to being nosy, and he gets a prime opportunity right off the bat as he leaves the staff space and hears an infuriated "What!" That would be Dimitri, pulling his volume right back down as he and Felix whisper to each other about something. Claude gets just close enough to hear the words "I swear I'm going to ban him again" when Dimitri finally looks up. "Is that really going to be enough for you?" he asks, temporarily distracted from whatever gossip ensnared his attention. Felix only glances at him briefly, not bothering to move his head, before reaching down to mess with something on Dimitri's phone without even bothering to ask. So they're on the same kind of level Hilda and him are on. Good to know.

Claude rolls his shoulders up in a shrug. "Absolutely not," he announces plainly, and is amused at the way Dimitri shakes his head.

"Did I not actually give you one of my coats to wear for colder seasons?"

Coming to stand by the table, Claude looks up from beneath his eyelashes and slyly grins. "Oh noooo," he says, trying for overly dramatic. "I keep forgetting. I guess we'll just have to keep meeting up then until I can give it back to you."

"I do forget things often as well," Dimitri says so sincerely. Swing and a miss. Claude notes he'll have to be even more obvious in the future. "I use a certain app that- ah." He pauses, right as Felix is slowly pulling back his hand for what looks like a smack to the back of the blond's head. "Oh. Oh. Is this... I see." He smiles a little bit, head ducking down and peering up from beneath those pale eyelashes. As if just to double check, he glances back to where Felix's hand is hovering before his eye returns to Claude. "Then... I'll gladly keep waiting until you remember."

So damn cute. Still grinning, Claude tilts his head towards Felix. Dimitri's firecracker of a friend is only now lowering his hand, settling it to rest back on Dimitri's shoulder. "So, what were you two talking about?" Claude asks, wondering if they're both honest enough that he can get away with just asking.

The answer? Absolutely. Dimitri's lips thin, and he tucks his phone away. "Sylvain has apparently been more of a-"

"Pain in the ass," Felix says bluntly, taking a sip of his coffee while he goes through his pockets for his own phone.

"Felix, no," Dimitri says, chagrined.

"It's true, even if you like pretending to be polite and not cuss him out," Felix mutters, flicking through his phone. "Hey, have an instagram?" That part is directed to Claude, bright eyes flashing impatiently.

He has a couple, actually, for different reasons. "Gonna follow me on one?" Claude asks, grinning and trying to gauge which one he should give to one of Dimitri's friends. He wants to be at least a little consistent with the people Dimitri knows, until he's fully confident just how far the two of them are going in this relationship.

Felix snorts. "Maybe if there's anything worth following. I was thinking of using mine to draw more attention to this protest." Now, as a primo actor and liar himself, amongst his many other talents, Claude can sense a lie when he hears one. This doesn't entirely feel wrong... but he feels like there's something else, with the way Felix glances down at Dimitri.

Dimitri, who's already leaning forward with a smile. "Felix runs a youtube channel," he explains, having apparently been waiting for this the entire time. "It seems rather popular, although I'm not entirely sure how to quantify these sort of things. It's focused on swords, mainly, although he has an ongoing series on various historical battles. He's talked about learning how to make blades himself-"

"Basically, there are at least a few people following the social media accounts for it," Felix interrupts abruptly, despite the fact that Claude is hanging onto every word because he so very wants to know more about sword making. To be specific, he wants to know exactly what kind of laws are actually in place to stop some random no-manners wooden-sword-wielding spitfire from creating his own personal armory within city limits. He feels there has to be one... but also, there very likely may not be. It's amazing, really, what weird laws get put into place, and what common sense ones get missed entirely. Felix, unaware or uncaring of the many questions rolling around in Claude's head, continues. "If I post a quick selfie, then it might help word get out."

Claude laughs. "Well, who am I to refuse free advertising? But it might do better to meet up with Raphael- I told you about him, right, Dimitri? He's the guy who's helping carry around all our fun protest gear. Mostly signs, honestly, but he has a lot of other things. That'll make for a better picture than if we just snap something here in a cozy little coffee shop, right? Speaking of which, are we all ready to go?"

They are, with Felix having downed his coffee before Claude even came over to join the table and Dimitri patiently working on his lemonade. The good news is that it doesn't really take long to make it to where Raphael agreed to pick him and his new friends up. Raphael's van is in even more of a state than Claude's car is, sure as hell older than Claude's is, but still cared for in much the same way. It's while Raphael is getting gas that the three of them gather in the back. There, piles and piles of all sorts of things await them, and they find the time to take a picture using Felix's phone, with Claude in the middle. It's a pretty good picture, with Claude making sure to dictate to Felix what the perfect caption should be. Felix makes some adjustments, of course. Gotta fit his internet brand.

Yet it's as Felix is sending off into the wilds of the internet that he just so happens to matter something... Just a quick little "That should get the fool's attention". It's under his breath, a ghost of a sentence that he clearly doesn't intend anyone else to hear. Claude almost wants to laugh. Suddenly, he has a feeling he knows why Felix cares so much about getting his picture.





↬ nice pic on insta

↬ didnt know u and dima had plans 2day

⤝ he's an idiot who decided on this so i'm along to make sure he doesn't get arrested

⤝ besides

⤝ thought i'd meet this new boyfriend of his myself

↬ lol and curiosity finally strikes

⤝ i can see why you gave him your number

⤝ didn't know that's your type too

↬ feliiiiiiix

↬ are u upset abt that?

⤝ it's none of my business what you do, no matter how dumb, so why would I care?

↬ i mean, i'd love 2 know myself

↬ posting pics, calling out my type

↬ lol are u jealous?

⤝ boar says eat shit by the way

↬ hey felix u didnt answer

↬ felix?

↬ we both know dima wouldn't say that

↬ or ok he can send a text that's the Good Boy (tm) version of that

↬ thx 4 that felix

↬ idek i was unbanned!!!

↬ But seriously, is it actually bugging you?

↬ u remember that i said i thought we'd both get turned down right??

↬ i thought it would make dima feel better

↬ that's it, i swear

↬ Felix?

『MESSAGE READ AT 9:52 A.M.』

↬ ok

↬ got it, know it was still a dumb idea

↬ hey listen, my plans got cancelled for next saturday. want to go see that new action movie with lon'qu in it?

↬ my treat

↬ lmk when ur done with the protest





Dimitri is pretty sure he rather likes all of Claude's friends, and it's a trend he hopes never fails. Lorenz had been passionate and comforting in his own rather dramatic way. Hilda is bright and cheerful and had given him a litany of health tips, some he'd known, some he hadn't, when conversation in the apartment had turned more domestic instead of political. And Claude is.... Well. There's Claude. He could go on for ages about Claude the more he learns about him, he thinks.

Raphael is no different, taller than he is but not tall enough to beat Dedue, with the kind of smile that Felix describes under his breath as "country as hell". Dimitri kind of understands what he means. Maybe it's because he's the most solidly built person the two of them have ever met, or that his hair is cornfield yellow, but he feels like he belongs in the countryside in all the best ways.

Dimitri finds that he likes talking to him as they drive through the city, making their way to where the protest is scheduled to start. They have a lot to talk about, since Raphael likes working out as well, but their conversation drifts to other things, too. Raphael is telling him about his sister, the absolute light of his life, when he says, "Anyway, that's why I don't like to go to that one pharmacy. I don't think it's worth it, if they're gonna act like that over just some antidepressants. People sure have a lot to say for things they don't know a lot about. I just don't get it, but I figure I don't have to deal with folks saying that about my little sister."

"Yes, I rather understand. It can be difficult, sometimes, even for trained professionals who know better. One day I had to go pick up one of my own medications-"

He's not really expecting Raphael to tap his chin thoughtfully when he says the prescription name. "Oh, hey, think I know that one, maybe. I mean, I might be wrong. I try to keep up, but I'm no good at the complicated names like they like to use."

"Well, it's an anti-psychosis medication," Dimitri says simply, because honesty is better than dragging it out. From the corner of his eye, he can see Felix abruptly stop focusing on his conversation with Claude (something about recognizing cops, Dimitri thinks?) to watch their driver carefully.

Raphael snaps his fingers, wrist balanced against the steering wheel. "Yeah, I think that's the one!" And then, proving there's a reason why Dimitri has come to like all of Claude's friends, he goes, "Be sure to tell me if you need any water or anything. I got all sorts of snacks, too." There's one of those broad grins again, all teeth, 100% country. "I don't know what sorta diet you have, or if you've already taken your pills, but just let me know. I got things for all sorts of people. Never met anyone with that sort of thing before, so I'll just trust you, alright, Dimi?"

They're on nickname basis already. Dimitri is, very quietly but very sincerely, delighted about this fact. He couldn't be more delighted, honestly. "Water will likely be the most important," he answers, more than happy about it. Tapping open his phone, he clicks away from the scolding that he'd given Sylvain and writes down some notes for himself. He'll flesh it out in his journal when he gets home, something to tell his therapists for his approaching session. Note done, he can't help notice that Felix has gone back to talking to Claude. Good. Perhaps this will reassure him that Dimitri really will be alright. "You know, if you have any questions, I wouldn't mind answering them."

"I'll let you know," Raphael says earnestly, checking a street sign as they pass it. "Oh, are you gonna need earplugs? I don't know how much that helps with anything, or if the medication stops all that stuff. I mean, if you deal with hearin' things at all."

"I won't need earplugs, but thank you very much for the offer." Dimitri smiles just a little bit. He hates talking about his condition when the only guarantees are wary looks, overwhelming pity, but Raphael is matter of fact like his therapists are matter of fact. "It's mainly auditory hallucinations that I deal with... but honestly they're more annoying than anything when they surface." Dimitri isn't entirely sure why that is, if it's because he's not stressed or if the medication is doing as it needs to. "Honestly, I don't think I'll hear anything that will be too out of place in a crowd while we're here, if I hear anything at all."

"Oh yeah?"

"It's not always as dramatic as people think," Dimitri muses. "One night, I was simply hearing the sound of someone brushing their teeth obnoxiously loud in my bathroom."

Felix knows this story, and he gives an annoyed groan of experience. "You called me at two in the morning because of that," he says, not sharp enough to be snappish. It's Dimitri's favorite 'the brain is an intrinsically failed organ in all the most ridiculous ways' story. At least, amongst their own little friend group. Dimitri hasn't exactly had the opportunity to tell it to other people. Not until today, anyway.

All Dimitri does is grin over to where Claude is riding shotgun. "And he came to my apartment at two forty-five to keep me company all to sunrise," he says, because Felix truly does care so much, more than anything else. It was true when they were kids, playing with each other and watching him care enough to tear up, and it's true now when he wears nothing but spines. There's a couple years gap that Dimitri doesn't know about... so he's glad that much, at least, hasn't changed.

Felix tells him to shut up, Claude laughs at both of them, and Raphael cheerfully says, "What're friends for, right?" And that's around when they arrive at their stop.

It's not exactly the place where the protest is scheduled to start. That would be because the actual streets and more than a few parking spaces are going to be filled with actual pedestrians, something that makes parking a little bit difficult. That means, unfortunately, forking over what feels like a ridiculous amount of cash for a space in a parking garage. Him and Felix split on it, leaning from the back seat to pass bills over to Raphael. It's the least they can do, after all, since they're only contributing their time and energy for this otherwise, not the planning or supplies that go into it.

Dimitri is expecting to help grab the signs that are piled up in the back of Raphael's van. Instead, Raphael shoulders the enormous hiking backpack that had been resting in a corner and which seems nearly fit to burst with all sorts of things. What things? According to one side of the sign the man rests against his shoulder, apparently all the food and drink he'd told Dimitri about, and then some. The list includes sunscreen, painkillers, tampons, and about a dozen other little things.

Dimitri really does like Claude's friends so much.

Speaking of which- the man in question grabs the other cases that are in the back of the van, because apparently there's nothing here not meant for the protest. This is interesting to Dimitri, because he can recognize the cases and bags that Claude is hauling up around his shoulders. After all, all of him and his childhood friends had to attend music classes, when they were younger. Sylvain and Ingrid had hated it, Felix hadn't minded much at all, and Dimitri had rather adored the activities even though he never pursued the field. (Never had a chance to.) Still, he has to pause just a little bit watching Claude. "Are... you really bringing musical instruments with you to a protest?"

Something about Claude's grin makes Dimitri suspect the man has rather been looking forward to this reaction. "What, didn't I tell you I was in a band on our first date?"

"A band that plays at protests?"

He'd be more offended at Claude's laughter if it wasn't so beautifully bright. "That's right!" he says, winking at Dimitri and tugging out a case that seems larger than most. Dimitri does him a favor by picking it up himself; Felix already has the vast majority of signs picked up. That he spins a picket sign as though he's going to beat someone with it is just normal, really, although Dimitri really hopes he doesn't. "If you saw a protest going down the street with a full marching band as accompaniment, you can't say you wouldn't be interested yourself, right?"

That... Well. Dimitri shakes his head. "I suppose I can't argue with that," he says as they clear out the entirety of Raphael's van. "I didn't think of it as a way to draw attention to your cause. It's very clever, and unique." Dimitri wonders if Claude uses such tactics for all the causes he champions- which are vast and many, he's come to learn - before deciding the answer is obvious. Instruments like this, in these numbers, aren't a one time thing.

"Well, there is more to it than that." Claude waits for Raphael to lock all the doors, and then they're off. As they make their way out of the garage and onto the sidewalks, Claude continues to explain. "It's also an important part of morale. Along with all the physical aspects of it, the yelling and the walking, it can also take a lot out of people emotionally. Human beings need to keep their spirits up just as much as anything. When they see something like a marching band in the thick of it, well, that can help."

"The noise probably helps too," Felix says, tapping his fingers against the signs he's carrying thoughtfully. "If you run into counterprotesters, just their existence can make people's morale take a hit... But it's a lot harder for anyone to take them seriously when they're drowned out by trumpets." He quirks up an eyebrow. "Not to mention that makes it hard for the audience to listen to their nonsense as well... Am I actually going to punch anyone?"

Claude laughs. "We can only wait and see," he says, amused. "I do so apologize if I'm ruining any dreams here. But you are right. There's a lot more to it, as well."

As they continue walking, Claude tells them about the whole initiative, the importance of engaging people, of keeping morale up- all of it. Dimitri had never thought that something which sounds so silly could be so important... Although maybe Claude is just gifted with a silver tongue that makes every single thing he says sound perfectly reasonable.

"You should meet a few people in the band, since you seem interested," Claude says when they're almost there, the streets becoming a little more packed with every step they take. Raphael and Dimitri's bulk combined is enough to help forge a path, with Felix and Claude inbetween them. "Honestly, I think there are a few people you'd really get along with."

"Like the flamethrowing lesbian?"

"Funnily enough, she's not allowed to use that in public events like a protest. How unfair, right?" Claude shakes his head, grinning. "Alright, stop here, we're meeting up with everyone else at this spot. And speak of the devil-"

Claude raises his voice and calls out to a group of people that are already clustered together in what space they managed to find. Him and Raphael dive into the throng with welcome and practiced ease, both of them smiling bright enough to light up an entire building. Dimitri can't do that himself, not anymore, so he stays on the outskirts, checking his face again and again to ensure he's not slipping back into a glower by accident. It's easier to do that when it's just himself, and the occasional introduction that he smiles and nods to.

Felix could dive in really easily, if he wanted to. Hell- even if he didn't. There's something about him that's just likeable, once someone survives the initial shock of someone who never holds his tongue and sometimes doesn't even seem to care about the concept of manners. Dimitri is glad to say that it's not just childhood friendship bias that makes him feel this way. How else could anyone describe the way he gets along with Annette, or pulls in Sylvain, or makes Ingrid grin so fondly? So it doesn't matter that Felix scowls, or fights, or makes people intimidated from the force of his no-nonsense personality. Anyone who gets to know him likes him. That's simply a fact.

And yet Felix stays on the edges with him, surveying everything with such casual distance. "It looks like you picked the exact right person to pull you out of your slump," he comments, handing over a sign to someone who comes over at Claude's direction.

"It's just been good luck." Dimitri smiles softly, feeling Felix lean against his arm. It's a small gesture, insignificant to anyone but them. "Thank you again for coming out with me, Felix. It means more than I can say."

"Don't bother thanking me. I just wanted to see what kind of person could actually get you in a protest of all things."

That's probably true, on some level. Dimitri can't even argue that there are other motives, not with how people escape him sometimes. It's even a valid piece of curiosity. While he's making strides towards getting himself out again, not locking himself in his apartment to spiral into another miserable depression hole, this is something of a big step.

At the same time... Dimitri knows Felix. He was worried that he didn't, for a time, but he knows him, and he knows that Felix has watched him longer and more intensely than a great many others. Both of them have their regrets, too, in regards to one another. Dimitri does his best to work through them, to improve upon himself so that he can avoid making the mistakes of his past and to, in some way, atone for the ways he's messed up. Felix... He can't say what Felix has resolved to do.

All he knows is that, no matter what, whenever they're together, Felix watches him so very carefully. He watches out for him so carefully.

This is what he means when he thinks of Felix being so very generous, kinder than one would think. That he's tempered with such bluntness only makes him all the kinder.

Besides, watching a marching band for a protest meet up is fascinating to watch, even for only a few minutes. Dimitri is pretty sure he could just stand there, fascinated by how it pulls together, and that would be fine. Yet Claude won't be satisfied with only that. He talks to a handful of people, directs others, and eventually winds his way back to Dimitri and Felix. "It'll probably take forever if I try to introduce you to every single person here," Claude says, grinning. "But if you're ever interested, either of you, you should come to practice sometime."

"I'll pass on the musical part," Felix drawls, hands tucked into his pockets now that the vast majority of signs have been taken off his person. That only leaves him with one sign he's apparently taken a liking to, balanced in the crook of his arm and along his shoulder. Dimitri hasn't really been paying attention to too many of them, so he's almost startled when he reads its proclamation of 'AGAINST ABORTION? FREE VASECTOMY HERE'.

...Yeah, he can understand why that one appealed to Felix.

Pulling his gaze away from the sign, Dimitri hums thoughtfully. "It's been a long time since I've played an instrument. I'm not sure how good I would honestly be..." Like many hobbies or things he once found enjoyment in, they just ended up... slipping away from him at some point.

Claude laughs again, rocking back on his heels. "You'd be amazed at how many people join up despite having no idea how to play," he confides. "But that's fine, right? We're not in this to make money, or show off as professionals. As long as you come to practice, the rest of us can help you stick to a tune. Once you're out in the streets with everyone else, it's just a matter of sticking to the rhythm by listening to everyone else."

"Then... Maybe if I have a few months to prepare..."

Nodding and pleased, Claude snaps his fingers. "Actually, the rhythm thing is sort of related to what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh?"

"So, I'm not going to introduce you to every single person we have coming to this thing," Claude says, one hand fluttering as if suppressing the very notion. "But I do want to introduce you to two of my favorite people. They're- well." He tilts his chin down, eyes shining in amusement. "Honestly, if I tried to tell you even a little bit about them, they'd sound like complete fiction. Trust me- I've tried to explain them to strangers in the past. Only meeting them in person or seeing actual video evidence ever seems to make the reality of them sink in."

Felix cocks his head to the side, mouth scrunched up and an eyebrow rising dubiously. "With the way you're talking about them, I'm starting to wonder if I should be worried." He doesn't sound worried at all, of course, just morbidly fascinated.

"I mean, you might end up worried, but not because of them, exactly." Claude perks up, eyes searching through the crowd. "And 'lo, I spoke it into the world and made it happen." Cupping one hand to his mouth, he stretches one high into the air and begins to wave frantically. "YO! Teach One and Two! Over here!"

Dimitri turns around, not entirely sure what to expect.... only that absolutely nothing he could have conjured in his mind would prepare him for what he actually sees.

"Doctor and Professor Byleth?"

The twins pause in the midst of shouldering their way through pedestrian traffic, both of them carting enormous brass instruments that wrap around their entire bodies. Dimitri has never seen either of them in casual clothing before, and it's a little disorienting to see. Both are clad in jeans and tee shirts over long sleeves; it's just the details that differ. Professor Byleth is sporting a shirt with a rainbow sword on it, proudly proclaiming I AM GAY AND THREATENING. Besides the professor, Doctor Byleth is wearing something in a more neutral gray that gives the probably sound advice of MAKE YOURSELF HARD TO KILL. Both of them seem just as surprised to see him as he is to see them.

So. You know. That's something. He's not entirely sure what that something is, but it is something.

"It's a pleasant surprise to see you here, Dimitri," Professor Byleth says, once the two of them have gotten close enough to be heard without yelling- something both siblings seem to have a distaste for.

The good doctor nods in Felix's direction. "That goes for you too, Felix. Is Ingrid here with you two?"

Dimitri had almost forgotten Felix's presence, and he's relieved that Felix is just as flabbergasted as he is. There's something to be said about being knocked dumbstruck with a friend. "She- No, she's not." Felix shakes his head, trying to act as if he wasn't affected at all, because even confusion is still too close to emotional vulnerability, somehow. Dimitri, in contrast, keeps his eyebrows raised up, still reeling. "I'm just here with Dimitri."

Oh, no. Dimitri subconsciously straightens his spine a little. He's not sure how he should be acting here, because everything feels either far too casual or far too formal, with no steady median. "Hello, Doctor, Professor," he says politely, because that at least should happen even if nothing else does.

That's around the time Claude fortunately sweeps to his rescue. "You four know each other?" he says, not so much sounding interested as looking it with the way his body leans in close. The only way his intrigue could be more obvious is if he had a tail to wag.

It's a jumping off point, and Dimitri will, quite frankly, take it. "Doctor and Professor Byleth are my therapists," he says, gesturing to the two siblings. That Felix also takes advantage of their services is something he stays silent on. That's for Felix to mention, if he wants to at all. "Professor, Doctor, this is Claude. I, ah, mentioned to you that I had started to date again, didn't I...? He's the one who encouraged me to participate in today's event." A part of him suspects that's not really what you call a protest in any shape or form, but, well. He's flustered, alright?

Claude's eyebrows have risen almost up to his hairline at this new information, and he bursts out laughing. "The world sure is small, huh!" he says, elbowing Dimitri in the side. "Your therapists are two of the best sousaphone players we have. They show up to practice religiously."

Dimitri suspects he's using something about that particular phrasing on purpose, because both Byleths- well, the thing about both Byleth Eisners is that neither of them seem particular interested in the act of emoting. Anything that crosses their face tends to be minimalist at best. After long enough, even the faintest curve of their lips tend to stand out starkly to anyone who's gotten used to ever constant baseline nothing.

Right now, "baseline nothing" has shifted on both of their faces, with the professor's brows twitching in the direction of one another, and the doctor possibly frowning. Claude seems to understand he's managed to get through, at any rate, and just grins at them until both siblings shake their heads.

"Ignoring Claude's questionable humor," the doctor says.

"Hey!"

They continue without missing a beat. "How are you feeling, Dimitri? Your health seems to be doing really well."

Professor Byleth tilts their head to the side sympathetically. "Although you don't seem to be sleeping properly... Oh, Dimitri, you're glaring again."

His shoulders jerk, and Dimitri quickly beats down his own awkward feelings towards the situation at hand so that he can at least look presentable in public. "I apologize- but yes, I'm doing well. At least, as well as can be expected."

"Good." He's actually not sure which of them says that single word, only that they both reach out with opposing hands to pat his arms. For the two of them, Dimitri leans forward a little bit into their touch. The person he can physically see speaking up would be Doctor Byleth. "I imagine then that we will have a lot to talk about on your next visit, but we'll keep that restricted to the office."

"But we're here if you need anything," Professor Byleth promises him.

As usual, just being in their presence makes Dimitri feel a little more at ease with the present situation, and he smiles down to them. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

He's not exactly sure where to keep the conversation going, however, if only because his only frame of reference for both Byleths is their office. Fortunately, Felix is right there with him, and he manages far better. "So what are you two doing with those two huge instruments?"

In perfect tandem, both siblings look down at their instruments, and then back up at the three of them. "It's a sousaphone," Doctor Byleth says.

Professor Byleth adds, "We're in the rhythm section."

That explains... really very little. Claude sweeps in once again, gesturing to the enormous instruments. "Alright, so these puppies? Are loud, in all the ways Teach 1 and Teach 2 here aren't. That's really important when it comes to marching a band through loud city streets, in a crowd of protesters who are already pretty rowdy. Remember when I said the most important thing was just keeping to the rhythm? Well, to keep to the rhythm, you have to be able to hear the rhythm." Putting one hand on his cocked hip, Claude grins at the siblings. "It's a slightly tricky position to have, honestly. Think of it as sort of leading all the songs. Speaking of which, Teach, could you two go talk with Courtney? I think our resident magical girl mascot wants to talk with you two."

Silently, both siblings nod, and they give another one of their distant smiles to Dimitri and Felix. "We'll be seeing you," Professor Byleth says, hurrying in the direction of the blossoming band crowd.

Doctor Byleth follows shortly after. "We hope this is a good experience for you, Dimitri."

All three of them wait very patiently until most of the enormous sousaphones have been swallowed up by the nearby band crowd. That's when Claude turns to them both and casually goes, "Anyway, I think they know actual magic, because the Teaches are the only ones who can be trusted with organizing this crowd. You know, besides me, but it's nice to be able to hand things off sometimes. But with that said-" He leans forward a little more, his arm brushing against Dimitri's. "Those two are actually your therapists?"

A sort of strangled noise hops out of his throat. "I suppose they are," he says, a little helplessly. Therapy never prepared him for this scenario. Self-help books didn't prepare him for it. He wonders if there's a forum somewhere that might be able to help with a little direction. "I had no idea they did things like this... although it isn't as though I asked. It, ah, it seemed as though it would be improper."

It's one thing to have a good relationship with your therapists. It's another thing entirely to cross the line from somewhat friendly to being too invasive. Dimitri had always worried about asking too much, being too much, especially with his mind as it is. So he had always thought less was for the best.

Somehow, he supposes he shouldn't be particularly surprised that such things were completely out of his control.

Well, if he's already stumbled over the line by complete accident.... "How long have you known Doctor Byleth and Professor Byleth?" he asks Claude, watching Felix pull out his cell phone. He doesn't mean to pry, but it's also impossible for him to miss how Sylvain's name is the one that gets pulled up. Really. No matter what happens between them, they always return to each other's sides in the end. Dimitri is almost envious, even though he is somewhat certain they do the same in regards to him.

Claude hums thoughtfully. "Well... I would say we're getting close to two years, now. Also, somehow googling them is a complete mess, but do they both have the names Byleth Eisner on their business cards?"

"Oh, yes."

"Nothing to differentiate them whatsoever?"

"...Claude, do you think they have something such as 'the one with the short hair' written underneath 'M.D.'?"

He hadn't meant to make Claude burst out laughing, but he does, hand clutching at his chest. "I mean, it's definitely an idea!" he says, once he's caught his breath again. "I'm just curious. It messes up some new people who join the band, especially when they try to use a gendered prefix like 'Mister' and then both of them look up. I can only imagine how they must drive people up the wall if they try to call their office. Don't they ever get mixed up on whose client is whose?"

"I don't think it's ever been a problem," Dimitri ventures. "Although I can't exactly say for sure. I mean, one of them is a Doctor, and the other is addressed as a Professor, so that's one way to ensure that there is some difference... but I suppose even that is rather easy to mix up to someone who is not familiar with their practice or merely them in particular."

"I think their secretaries have some sort of power," Felix mutters, still texting Sylvain. Dimitri doesn't know how he can talk and text at the same time. He's tried; it's impossible. "Every time I've seen them, whether it's on the phone or in person, they always manage to point someone in the right direction. I wonder if they could do the same thing if their other sibling was there, too."

Claude's eyes light up in unrestrained delight and wonder. "Wait, do they have a third sibling also named Byleth?"

"Oh, yes." Dimitri nods. He's seen the family photos in the offices as well. "They're all triplets. I've never met the third Byleth, however. I think they're also- well, they both always refer to the third rather neutrally, so I can only assume that the third is also rather.... a passing stranger to gender or its binary? I haven't really spoken too much about it with them," Dimitri admits.

Claude looks as though his birthday has somehow miraculously come early, the way he grins. "I have so many questions," he announces, as though that's a delightful thing to have instead of absolutely mind boggling. "First being, quite frankly, how the hell all three of them ended up with the same name. Matching names for triplets, or twins, or any other sort of multiple birth- I can get that. But what kind of parent actually names all three of their triplets the same name?"

"Allegedly, it was a hospital mistake," Felix snorts. "I asked. All three of them apparently just decided that was fine, when Jeralt thought they were old enough to have an opinion."

"Secondly, I would love to know how Jeralt Eisner has managed this," Claude continues. "How do you have three kids, and every single one of them turns out to be this level of queer, consistently, across the board? I mean, statistically, I know there had to be some case like this. That's numbers for you. But is it in his genes? Something in the water he drank? Is there a technique-"

Dimitri chokes, just a little bit, on the air he's trying to actively breathe. Felix makes a face and answers for him. "If you can get Jeralt to even humor you with questions like that, I'll be more amazed at that than any answer he could possibly give you."

Claude's grin is as wide as ever. "I'll be sure to let you know if I ever manage to meet him in person and get a chance," he promises. Dimitri puts that down on his list of 'Things To Possibly Be Prepared For', although he isn't entirely sure, even now, just how on earth he's going to do that. "But now I get to turn the question around on you two. How long have you known the Teaches?"

"Personally? Well..." Dimitri does the math in his head, lining up holidays, birthdays- things that seem a little easier than actual years for some reason. Time, he's learned, can be rather meaningless and- well, messy. "Four years?" he offers, because that seems about right. Felix doesn't contradict him on the matter, anyway, and Dimitri trusts his memory on it. "I knew them when their hair was brown- both of them."

"Their hair isn't naturally blue?" Claude immediately switches priorities the second the words are out of his mouth, and leans closer.

Dimitri shrugs. "I haven't the faintest idea. Brown hair certainly matched the pictures of Jeralt I've seen but I also can't... confirm one way or the other." He just walked into a session one day, and his therapist had blue hair. Dimitri hadn't worried about it too much at the time; his brain had been rather preoccupied. "I suppose they don't seem like the type to dye their hair, do they?"

A laugh hops out of Claude. "I wouldn't say that. I know at least one of them has a pair of rather impressive pair of leg tattoos- full sleeve and everything." Before they can continue their talk about the enigmatic Eisner family, someone calls Claude's name, and he looks back towards the gathering. It's now become at least 35% musical instrument to person ratio. "Oh- it looks like they need me now." He grins back to Dimitri and Felix. "It's a big protest, so don't worry if we get split up. That happens. You guys have my number and I have my phone on me, so we can always find our way back. But at least try to stick close enough to hear what we do best." There's something mischievous in the way he grins up at Dimitri. "I'd be heartbroken if you didn't hear my talent on my instrument of choice."

Should he be suspicious about that? Dimitri suspects he should be suspicious. Regardless, he nods. After all, he's here already for this explicit purpose. "We'll be near, don't worry." That's all it takes for Claude to turn and run off back to his group of fellow musically inclined troublemakers.

Dimitri does in fact try to keep true to his word, although he's not entirely sure how protests... work, or anything. He just knows them from the news, or history books. Real life experience is something he's rather lacking in. But then, he supposes that as long as can see Raphael towering above the crowd or the shine of the Byleths' instruments, he should be fine. Stick to who you know, right?

And who he knows the most is honestly....

"So you're really sure about this, huh?" Felix's words are low, easy to miss in the excited buzz of the crowd. It's probably because he's sticking so close to Dimitri that he can hear him so well at all. Their arms are still brushing, a constant but small sensation that draws Dimitri's attention.

Dimitri smiles a little to himself and says nothing of it. Everyone has their own way of being with certain people important to them. For him and Felix, this is it. At least, he likes to think so. It's not as if Felix has ever told him upfront. "Crowds have yet to set me off, Felix. You know that. If I have the energy and ability to take part in these sort of things, I would rather like to."

A rough snort. "You'd like to, huh?" There's a sort of barbed question underneath the first, not meant to hurt so much as pinch, wake up if waking up is what's needed. Felix is good at being blunt and upfront a lot of the time... but sometimes, with the more sincere things, he sidesteps, approaches them indirectly.

Fortunately, there's no need to do any 'waking up', not today. "Yes, I would," he says, quiet and sincere. "If it goes well, perhaps I'll even take up Claude's offer. It would be... nice to do something like this, don't you think?"

"Absolutely not."

Dimitri grins a little to himself at that. Well, that's more than fair for someone like Felix. The two of them have a lot in common, as much as the other would bristle at any comparisons, but... Well, Dimitri has always contented himself with his restrictions as best he's been able to. Doing something new like this just for himself... "Either way, I can see myself liking it. We'll just have to see how things turn out, especially Claude's performance."

There's not a lot more time for talking, after that. With such a massive crowd, Dimitri has no idea when someone gets it in their head to start the move, only that the directive washes over the gathered protesters like a wave. Before he knows it, him and Felix are swept up along with it, and their voices join the chorus all around them. It's- comforting, maybe? Strange and new, while also distantly familiar. There's a kind of unity binding such an enormous crowd together, one that wraps around him as well, and Dimitri observes the passion filling people's faces.

Honestly, the march portion of the protest isn't that long, and Dimitri suspects it's made even shorter by how he's gotten distracted by the feel of it all. When he glances down besides himself, he's amused to see Felix has gone and joined all of them almost perfectly: a fire heating up those already warm eyes, his voice raised along with a chant someone has started (that Felix might have started himself, actually), sign held up high. Dimitri grins, a little taken by the sight, and doesn't regret that night he'd pulled out his phone.

The blaring of a horn knocks him out of his thoughts, and Dimitri jolts up a little bit, looking around. A part of his brain already knows what it is, even before he sees and feels people making room for the group forging through the center. Dimitri can recognize all of them, even if Claude may not have formally introduced him to most.

He can see Hilda marching alongside someone else that is the same burning blur of pink, trumpeting away in unrestrained glee. Lorenz is nearby, recognizable with the way his purple hair flutters behind him, cheerfully following her up with a guitar that he carries with the air of a romantic. Raphael is the easiest person to spot out of all of them, banging away on a drum and laughing loud enough to be an instrument himself. Dimitri is pretty sure he can spot the backpack he's still wearing. Then there are the Byleths, of course, commanding the beat of the current song they're focused on....

Claude was right. The sousaphones really are loud enough that it's easy to imagine them drowning everything else out if a careful touch weren't applied.

Considering one sound in particular Dimitri can hear amongst the cacophony, and who his eyes eventually land on as the source? He almost wishes the Byleths did.

"Oh no," Dimitri says morosely.

Felix swears, and not very quietly. "He has a vuvuzela!?"

"Oh no."

"You have to break up with him." Felix's face is absolutely crumpled with aggravation and disgust as he looks up at Dimitri. "Do you hear me? He's that kind of person. Break up with him before I break his jaw for playing such a foul thing."

Dimitri wants to respond to him. He really does. Yet the more he listens, the more he realizes he knows this song, and he knows this song because it's an absurdly popular one. "If I Had a Million Dollars", although it's hard to tell the sound of it from the crash of noise that is the band.

Instead, he can tell what it is because of Claude. Claude, who stops playing long enough to encourage the crowd into singing along to the lyrics. Claude, starting up a call-and-response, waving his vuvuzela around like a conductor's baton. Claude, who absolutely glows and thrives with so many eyes drawn to him, shining like a star, leading the way.

Claude, who manages to spot him in the thick of the crowd, grins so playfully in his direction, and winks.

"Oh, no," he answers, almost helplessly.

Felix stares right up at his face and heaves out an aggravated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Typical, that you'd fall for the most annoying person in the crowd," he mutters, but there's no bite to his words. There's even a slight nudge of his arm against his, a little more purposeful than the barely-there touches that have happened thus far.

Ducking his head, Dimitri smiles down at his chest... and then promptly winces when the vuvuzela blares out again.

Dimitri isn't really sure when protests end, or how. History books, news articles, they don't really cover that sort of thing.

He just knows, personally, when it ends for him.

It's when the pounding in his heart starts to become more physical. It's when he looks at the people besides him, even Felix, and finds nothing but his connection flat-lining. He knows, logically, that he likes Felix, and that him and Felix are good friends. He knows why Felix is here, and why that's important. He knows that the people around him are people, with their own feelings. He knows that they're people and that's they're important because they are people, all for a cause he logically knows is good and righteous.

There's a dead end in his head after that.

He's just tired, he realizes idly.

Felix must realize he's getting tired and overstimulated too, because he takes one look at his face and makes a low 'tch!' of annoyance. "Alright, we're done here," he announces, taking Dimitri with his free hand and pulling him through the crowd.

"Do I really look so bad?" Dimitri asks, even as he allows himself to be guided through the crowd. It's a little bit difficult, but Felix has a way of cutting through and Dimitri is solid in his own way. Still, he peppers in apologies as they walk along, not wanting to seem rude. "It's not as though I'm falling into a depressive episode. This happens, sometimes." There are just so many people, so many voices, so many emotions boiling around him that it's kind of overwhelming. Honestly, it's not even a bad thing, not necessarily... but he knows that Felix in particular worries that one thing might trip him into far worse.

So he doesn't feel any offense when his friend just says, "Shut up. It's winding down anyways, so we might as well get some air while everyone else is squeezed in here. I didn't even hear a word about counterprotestors."

Well, there is a point to be had there. "I'll text Claude," he says, "so that at least he knows where we are." That feels as though it's what he should do, after all. They all came here together, and he'd rather not have to walk all the way back home. Distantly, he can understand that Felix shouldn't either, although his friend doesn't mind that sort of physical exertion.

Just to be careful, he texts a couple of different numbers. Claude's is the primary one, but he knows Lorenz and Hilda's numbers as well, now, thanks to the night he spent at their apartment. For the Byleths, he sends it to their emergency cell that they once gave him. By the time he's done, Felix has dragged him out of the protest and a good couple of streets beyond that. Despite the sign Felix is carting around, they hardly get any looks whatsoever. There's some benefits to living in a city, and it's that no one looks twice at bits of mundane strangeness.





⬏ better now???

⇀ Yes, thank you. I'm sorry if I worried anyone unduly. It has been a long time since I've attended an event like that. I suppose I was a little overstimulated.

⬏ 💊💊💊

⇀ I'm sorry, I don't understand?

⇀ Oh.

⬏ lol!

⇀ Wait, I understand.

⇀ Yes, I did make sure to take all my medications that morning. However, sometimes that can't help everything. At least, it can't help everything yet.

⬏ y is the brain so trash omg 😒

⇀ I wish that I could answer your question, but years in therapy hasn't really given me an answer besides that apparently it's just that way by design.

⬏ 🙏 god its me 🙏

⬏ 🙏 ur girl hilda 🙏

⬏ 🙏 i got some complaints on ur product so 🙏

⬏ 🙏 like 🙏

⬏ 🙏 wheres the customer support line???? 🙏

⇀ Ha ha.

⬏ dont come 2 the events if u get tired tho omfg

⬏ im surrounded by overachivers wtf 😩

⇀ If I didn't do things because I got tired from them, I think I would still be massively depressed.

⬏ u kno what i mean 😤

⇀ I liked coming over to help. It was nice. Besides, there's no telling if the overstimulation was primarily because I haven't been to an event like that in so long or if there were too many people in general.

⇀ I would like to try at least a few more times to see if anything changes before I call it quits completely.

⇀ I have end of the year parties with my friends and I think I've been doing fairly well there.

⬏ we'll watch out 4 you next time now that we know what 2 look 4

⬏ but omg end of year parties!!!

⬏ 🎉 invite 🎉 me 🎉

⬏ actually invite me over 2day!!!

⇀ You mean you want to come over to my apartment?

⬏ yeah!!!!!!!!!

⬏ claude says it's sooooo nice and i'm soooo jealous

⬏ and i can bring some stuff over 2

⬏ if the events are still 2 much, there's lots of other stuff u can help out w/.

⬏ im the only 1 handling our site can u believe that 😰

⬏ and u got a pov we dont so it would b rly useful!!!!

⇀ I think I would like that.

⬏ and i can tell u all about claude while i'm there 😛

⬏ ???

⬏ dimitri it's been like

⬏ ten min

⬏ omg dimitri are u dead

⬏ ur 2 young

⇀ I'm okay. I apologize for that.

⇀ I just wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that offer.

⬏ oh

⬏ i c

⬏ 😉

⇀ Why are you using that emoji?

⬏ 😉

⬏ anyway tell me where u live already and i'll drop by!! i have nothing 2 do so i'm all good

⇀ Oh, yes, of course.

⇀ But will you please tell me why you keep using that emoji?

⬏ 😉😉😉





Claude laughs when he hears the story- or at least the parts of it that Dimitri is willing to share- when he drops by the Golden Deer. "She's fun, right?" Claude asks, cleaning up some of the tables from the lunch rush. Dimitri would help, if he didn't suspect it would be incredibly awkward and out of place. He just feels strange, sitting around doing nothing when someone is working. Sure, he's given money to the Golden Deer, so it's not as though he's contributed absolutely nothing... But that just feels so impersonal. "So, what did the two of you do after she came over?"

"Oh, nothing too interesting." Dimitri avoids eye contact. "She actually did go over past performances you've all done. You are really quite talented; I was quite impressed. Although, honestly... She did seem happy to mostly lounge around my apartment."

"I'm not surprised about that." Claude tosses his cleaning rag into the busing bin a good two tables away, grinning when he makes a clean shot. "You've seen our apartment. In comparison, yours is so roomy, but I guess that's what happens when you have the ability to live on your own, huh?"

Dimitri nods. He can't exactly argue against that. There are a lot of times when it feels like he's made a mistake, that it's just a bit too much space for him and the emptiness depresses him... but on the other hand, there are a lot of benefits, too. It's why he made the choice in the first place, besides all the spite that factored in. Being able to walk around without worrying about if he's bothering anyone else, able to stretch out as he likes, keep whatever he wants... Still. "I prefer how your apartment feels. The three of you have so much- it felt like the entire apartment had its own personality. I rather liked that." He shakes his head. "I told Hilda I should take tips on interior decorating..."

Another laugh from Claude as he picks up the bin. "Oh boy, you're in for it now," he teases. "She must have been over the moon, right?"

Grinning down into his drink, Dimitri concedes, "She made me look up this online shop she's very fond of- something on Etsy. We were supposed to be looking over the band website, but it felt as though we kept straying further and further from our task... Regardless, she does have very good taste. She even introduced me to her own shop. I'm not a person for jewelry or accessories, but even I can understand how good the craftsmanship is. I'll have to think about perhaps getting something for a few of my friends." Ingrid isn't a jewelry person, exactly, but perhaps something subtle, understated... She has an interest in it, after all, Dimitri knows that much. She just doesn't show it off very much, or care for extravagant statement pieces. Annette would have a lot more fun with those, in contrast; maybe he'll tell Dedue and Ashe about it. "It was nice."

"Yeah, she has a talent for being fun to hang out with." Claude laughs into his hand, as if in on some joke that Dimitri is oblivious to. "So, did she say anything about me?"

Dimitri, to his credit, does not freeze up. Instead, he tries to buy himself some time by taking a sip of his drink. A long one. Which might be suspicious all on its own, he realizes belatedly, but it's too late now. It's also still true that he can't help that his throat has suddenly gone dry. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason. Hey, Dimitri, look at this." Claude is right in front of his table when he says it, so Dimitri can only assume that it's something he's put into his bin. Yet when he looks up, that's the exact moment Claude leans over so that his faces are only inches away from Dimitri's and he's looking into those rich green eyes. Dimitri's breath catches, and he jolts completely upright with his face so hot that there's no doubt it's a blazing red. That's answer enough for Claude; he leans back with a huff. "Aaah, what sort of gossip is she spreading about me?" he says, sighing dramatically.

"It wasn't gossip!"

"Mhmmm." Pouting, Claude heads to the back rooms of the coffee shop. His bin is in one hand, balanced against his hip. With the other, right before he disappears into forbidden staff areas, Dimitri sees him pull out his phone.





↣ gasp!

↣ 且_(ﾟ◇ﾟ；)ノﾞ ꒰｡·̮ ｡꒱

↣ what's all this!!

⬏ 🙀 what is it?

↣ it's all my tea!

↣ that YOU spilled

↣ ( •̀ω•́ )

⬏ oh :3

↣ hilda!!!!

↣ what did you tell him!

⬏ ;3

↣ which of my many great mysterious secrets have you compromised???

↣ he hasn't said!! so i have to assume the most dangerous ones!!!!

⬏ lol he already knows where u live tho

↣ not that kind of dangerous, hilda ( ｰ̀εｰ́ )

↣ no more pastries from the shop for you

⬏ 😦

↣ i'm losing a single earring from every pair you own

↣ accidentally

⬏ 😫

⬏ i'm helping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





Claude emerges from the back of the coffee shop looking a bit satisfied, and Dimitri gets up from his seat in order to move to the few counter seats available. "It wasn't gossip, I swear," he says, trying to state his case again. "I know I must have looked suspicious, Claude, but I promise we said nothing negative about you whatsoever."

"Oh, I believe you wouldn't say anything negative," Claude says, looking amused now. That's better than being angry, or even pouting. Dimitri will take it. "And I know Hilda wouldn't start shittalking me either. I just love to know everything that's going on. I've told you how curious I am, right? So you having mysterious talks with Hilda? That alone would get me interested. That those mysterious talks are about me? Is killing me, Dimitri."

Biting his lip, Dimitri reflects. He'd sort of wanted to keep it a surprise, along with some things being outright embarrassing, but it... can't be too mortifying to discuss his talks with Hilda, can it? If nothing else, he should tell Claude about the most relevant half. "Well... Honestly, a lot of it was her helping me figure out what our next proper date should be."

In the time that it takes Dimitri to decide on this course of action, Claude has already turned away to clean up his work station while there's a break in activity for the shop. At the sound of his voice- and, more importantly, an answer to his questions- he pauses and perks up. "Oh?" A warm chuckle rolls out of him, and the sound makes Dimitri's heart flutter. "You needed to outsource ideas once again, huh? Well, using my friends is definitely a clever move if that's the route you want to go for."

"It just came up in conversation, really." Dimitri shakes his head. "I'd had some things left out where I was struggling to come up with a good idea that wasn't repetitive, so she asked about it, and I admitted I was having... a little bit of trouble. I wanted to have a good encore. I thought I had some fairly decent leads, but I wanted..." He clenches one fist. "I really wanted to do better than that."

Claude is in the middle of putting something away on his side of the counter, separated by a small glass pane, and he stands on the tips of his toes so that he can reach over it to poke Dimitri's forehead. "You know, when you knock the first one out of the park, I think you're legally allowed to relax a little for dates that are just 'alright'. I'm just saying."

"It wouldn't be proper!" Dimitri protests, a statement that makes Claude laugh for some reason.

"I don't really care about proper." Claude winks at him even as he turns away to get something else from a drawer. "I care about spending time with you."

There's no need for coffee whenever Claude's around. Dimitri is starting to realize that. With his words alone, the other man makes his stomach twist and his heart warm. "Even so," he tries to insist. "I want to make the first two dates, at the very least, something special."

"Even though we've already gotten so casual that you took me out to the gym with one of your best friends and we all got a little bit naked together?"

Dimitri can't tell if Claude's coworker, Leonie, is glancing at him because of that statement or if she's just glancing at him for entirely work-related reasons. Either way, Dimitri blushes furiously again. He's not sure his skin has stopped being some shade of red ever since him and Claude got talking today. "Don't phrase it like that!" he hisses to Claude, and doesn't miss how much the other man grins even with his back to him. "And that doesn't count!"

"I would love to hear the reasoning on why it doesn't."

The problem is that Dimitri does not, in fact, have a good explanation on why it's an entirely different thing, and he's pretty sure Claude knows it. Still, he refuses to give it anything less than his best shot, so he takes a deep breath and straightens his back. "When it's introducing friends, things are allowed to be a little more casual and relaxed." That sounds right, that sounds plausible. Dimitri tries to tell himself that, even as Claude's shoulders shake in silent laughter. "At any rate, she had fantastic ideas."

"I'm sure she did." Claude flashes the grin over his shoulder. "She is one of my friends, after all. They're all capable of great thoughts, just, sometimes restricted to very specific fields. So, figuring out a date for us was all you two talked about in regards to me?"

Ugh. He had to keep pressing. Dimitri pauses for a second before he takes a breath. No, he can't just lie about something like this. It would be- rude. A betrayal of trust, so early on in their relationship. "There might... have been other things," he tentatively admits. "It wasn't meant to be about you, I swear it. Rather, it began because Hilda was showing me pictures of accessories she's made. It started off with her online shop, of course, but... Then she said there were things she had made for herself, personally, that didn't show up there, but instead in more personal photos. You know, things she had tested out by wearing herself and seeing the reactions people got to them, for example."

That's around the time the door to the Golden Deer opens, a couple of people chatting with each other, and Dimitri falls silent. Claude had told him ages ago that it was fine for him to drop by, really, and Dimitri believes him on that front. He just doesn't want to be the kind of person who gets in the way when his friends are working, lest he bother other customers, or get his friends in trouble with management. Claude is really well liked in the Golden Deer; Dimitri doesn't want to ruin that. So he falls silent, sipping on his tea while Claude takes care of the new customers and helps Leonie whip up drinks.

When the customers are gone, drinks in hand, Claude finally flutters back in his direction. "So I came up in a conversation about Hilda's jewelry making talents?" he asks as if he'd never left the conversation at all, a skill that's honestly quite impressive.

Dimitri is starting to run out of drink in his cup to serve as a distraction. "Well... Somewhat?" He clears his throat. "You see, some of the pictures she showed me, they were... Not everything was just her testing something out. For example, there were some things she made that were purely for herself." Dimitri fights the urge to clench his hand awkwardly. "She was especially proud of some of the pictures she'd taken on Halloween, for some of her costumes." It is too subtle, for him to phrase it like that? Is he taking too long to get to the point? Dammit, he might be sidestepping too much. He is answering the question, isn't he? Does Claude even understand what he's trying to say-

"Oh." Nevermind. Claude understands perfectly. "So she showed you some of our Halloween pictures, huh?"

Taking another sip of his drink isn't going to do anything to combat the blush on his face from that single syllable, and the way Claude says it, but he has to try. "Yes." Dimitri brushes some of his hair from his face. "It was initially only pictures of her, but she showed some things where the two of you were posing, and, well..." Just remembering all the different Halloween pictures of Claude, the costumes he wore.... That's enough to ensure Dimitri's blush isn't going anywhere. "You looked... very good in everything you chose."

Claude's eyes practically dance as they look over to Dimitri, shining to match how he grins. "I'm glad you approve of my Halloween fashion sense," he says slyly. "Anyway, I have to go get some things from the back, but it'll only take a minute. In the meantime..." Swanning past, he winks at Dimitri. "Let me know what costume you liked me in best."






↣ nvm~

↣ (ノ＞▽＜。)ノ

↣ my b, my b

↣ thanks hilda~

⬏ 😒🌡

↣ (ο´ω｀ο)ゝ

↣ listen if this gets me in his bed, then i'll buy you extra danishes 4 a week ok

⬏ 👀

⬏ i deserve a lil more i think

⬏ 4 ur reckless accusations to me

↣ i'll get you an extra latte for all next week

↣ but only if there are results

↣ ( ๑‾̀◡‾́)σ»

⬏ 🦴🤞

↣ 🤞🦴





"The witch," Dimitri mutters into his cup the second Claude returns from the storeroom with a box of marshmallows in hand.

For a brief second, there's only a stare, and then Claude's eyes light up in understanding. His grin is positively devious. "Oh, that one," he drawls, putting the box aside. "It was pretty nice. Although I didn't think you would go for something so flashy. You seem a little more... down to earth." Anyone who had seen the outfit in question would understand immediately what Claude means. The 'witch' costume in question hadn't exactly been the traditional sort. Or, in the ways it was traditional, such as the pointed black hat, it had outdone itself in all the ways it was not.

Dimitri can conjure up the image in his mind's eye perfectly, which has been his problem ever since he walked into the Golden Deer. That was when, after all, he had to look at the real Claude Riegan, and think of how he would look in person wearing the kind of clothing he'd wore in the Halloween pictures Hilda had cheerfully showed off to him. He'd looked so good in it all- Dimitri hadn't been lying when he said that to Claude.

That definitely included the crop top over his scandalously short minidress, the former in the bold colors of bisexual pride, the latter a- fetching black. His witch's hat had even matched, with a similarly striking color scheme. Yet... None of that had really caught Dimitri's attention. Not in the same way that the fishnets had, stretched out over those finely toned legs, existing between the sinfully short length of the dress and boots that had stretched up all along his calves....

He now sort of regrets inviting Hilda over. If he'd known then what he knows now- that pictures of Claude Riegan in literally any Halloween costume of his choosing are guaranteed to make Dimitri feel as though he should be arrested for the thoughts that go through his head- he'd have refused. Those images haunt him now.

They especially haunt him as he makes the mistake of re-establishing eye contact with Claude, and the barista gives him that smile. The sly one, his lips an invitation and his eyes a sly tease.

Dimitri breathes. Slowly. In, out. He's calm. "You wear bright colors very well," is what he says, because the alternative is admitting he wanted to kneel in front of those legs and tug on the fishnet to see if they'd snap back into Claude's skin enough to make him squirm. The alternative is admitting that he wanted to see how that dress would look crumpled up around his hips. The alternative is thinking about those boots digging into his back, his fingers digging into that hair until his knuckles knock off that hat, those green eyes that have had him captivated since day one focused on nothing but him-

So. Yes. It's better this way.

"I wear bright colors well, huh...?" Claude murmurs, still watching him. Still smirking.

While he's fairly certain Claude is professional enough to not flirt or say inappropriate things in a work setting (no matter how empty that work setting is), well. It can't hurt to be careful. So Dimitri makes the executive decision to turn the conversation around to something less likely to make him die inside. "May I ask why a dress?" he says abruptly, because that's a far safer route than the one they're heading down.

If nothing else, it makes Claude pause, and the look on his face eases up substantially. "Oh, that?" he asks, amused. "Is there a reason I shouldn't?"

"Not really." Relieved his plan worked, Dimitri shrugs. "It's merely-" Too appealing. "-not something I suppose I often see. I was wondering if there was a reason for it, or a story... If it's just something you like to wear, that's fine as well."

"Well, you're not wrong there." Claude glances over to Leonie, flashing a brilliant smile at his coworker. "I mean, Leonie, you remember when I first started doing my sexy Halloween costumes, right?"

Leonie brings one hand up to her mouth, making at least some attempt at hiding her laughter. "Oh boy, how could I forget?"

Pleased with the reaction, Claude turns back to Dimitri. "So," he begins, with that storytelling tone of his. "Halloween is starting to gear up store-wise, right? Granted, not our store, here." His hands flick through the air with a careless laziness, gesturing to the cozy atmosphere of the Golden Deer. "I am so relieved to say that we don't start busting into the festive spirit until we hit October 1, and no sooner. Granted, that still means someone forced to stay late or come in early so that we can get all the decorations up, but... It's still better than the alternative."

He spreads both hands far apart, fingers waggling. "But everywhere else didn't get the memo, much like they refuse to get the memo for the winter holidays. So they're busting out all the fun decorations, putting outrageous amounts of candy on sale, and every bit of media is ramping up for its best horror stories... even though we're over a month from the grand day. However, most importantly, costume shops are starting to claim the abandoned corpses of video rental stores and anywhere else that failed to fulfill its potential."

He stops there, sharing a grin with Leonie as the two of them pause in their work. Personally, Dimitri feels they're more than allowed to. The store is spotless, and the only other people are on their laptops. He can't imagine such customers caring when they have their own business to focus on.

"So me and all my friends, we decide... Hey! None of us have made grand plans for what we're dressing up as for Halloween, but we know we all need something, because what's the point otherwise?" Claude rocks back on his heels, laughing. "It's the one time of the year where you can dress however you want and not get the cops or the local group of concerned parents on your case! Well, within reason, anyway..."

Finishing off his drink, Dimitri gives it a swirl and laughs slightly. "Yes, I believe there are certain... laws against some things that are a little too much. Or, rather, too little."

It feels like some sort of victory to make Claude and Leonie laugh at that, Claude more than anything. With his hand over his mouth, he grins past it with his eyes sparkling. "You'll be very glad to hear that we're law-abiding citizens, except on all the days that we aren't." That? That makes Dimitri has questions. He doesn't have a chance to verbalize even a one before Claude is moving on. "Anyway, so we all head to one of the undead costume stores, erected in the graveyard of a shopping strip, because we could all just order our junk online, separately, but there's no fun in that. We're in there, what, thirty minutes-?" Claude looks to Leonie as he asks, seeking verification.

As it turns out, he ends up getting more than that. Leonie leans forward, arms crossed. "We looked through the entire selection for women - me, Hilda, and two of our other friends - and we could find maybe ten percent out of the entire lot that weren't some variation of sexy something."

"I thought the sexy Santa was rather inspired," Claude says mildly. "Most outfits along that line don't keep the beard. I was almost impressed."

Leonie shakes her head before getting back on track. "We were in there for half an hour, but anything that wasn't sexy had a fifty percent chance of being a witch costume. Only one of our friends was excited at first, because she was still kind of excited to be thought of as sexy at all, but even she got tired of it all eventually."

"So there's eight of us in this Halloween costume store," Claude picks up. "Half of us are going to riot from pure frustration. The other half of us are going to support them in it, because true friendship is getting carted to jail after you commit arson with sexism as the fuel. The good news is that none of us committed a felony." He snaps his fingers, both thumbs going up with the movement. "Hilda eventually decided they could all find something better online, or that she could make herself. That's how you can tell Hilda's pissed: she actually volunteers for something."

Dimitri blinks a couple of times. "She's always seemed nice to me so far..."

In a way that feels as though it might become the norm, Claude and Leonie share a look. Dimitri would even go as far as to venture that they know something he doesn't. "Well, she's definitely changed a little from when we all first met," Leonie admits after a moment, shrugging. "And this was a while back, you know."

Well, since he has no interest in prying, Dimitri can buy that well enough. He nods. "People can change very much over the years... But how did that lead to Claude in..." How to phrase this... "Skirts and dresses?"

"Alright, so." Claude clasps his hands together. "I'm sure you can imagine the scene: half of our friends group pissed because their options sucked, and exhausted because more than a couple of them decided to wear heels. In their defense-" He raises a finger. "None of us thought it would take so long to go through the selection and find anything. We underestimated misogyny, which was really where we went wrong. So I thought I'd just... cheer them up a little." Claude has a lot of smiles, but the one he puts on at that is one of Dimitri's favorites: grin broad, all teeth, eyes warm.

Leaning back against one of the counters, Leonie laughs a little to herself. "We're all about to turn and leave, when Claude suddenly grabbed something from the racks- I don't think he even looked at it- and he goes 'Oh right, I still need my costume, and this looks perfect!' And it was just-" She turns her head to the side, laughing into her hand again.

Claude's grin hasn't eased up in the slightest. "So, I will neither confirm nor deny if I looked or not," he drawls, shoulders shaking with the laughter in his voice. "But it was perfect."

"One of those dumb sexy nurse outfits," Leonie says with a laugh. "With the thigh high stockings and red heels and everything."

Dimitri perks up. "I recall seeing that one in the pictures Hilda showed me!" It's also been one of many that's been haunting him. "I hadn't realized it was so old."

Leaning in conspiratorially, Claude stage whispers, "The heels were trash, by the way. As it turns out, you shouldn't go shoe shopping at a Halloween store. I had to do some connecting with some people in theatre that I know and find a pair of heels in my size." If his goal was to make Dimitri laugh, then he succeeds quite admirably, and Claude pulls back with that same grin. "Anyway, I guess I couldn't just leave the joke on a one-off note, because things sort of kept snowballing, and, whups, before I know it, I'm handing over my card to the cashier as the proud new owner of a sexy nurse outfit."

"It was so ridiculous."

"But it made you laugh, right, Leonie?" Claude winks at her. "Honestly, it was a completely worthy purchase in every way. For one thing, I kept it hanging around my living room all the way through until Halloween, so all my friends kept laughing whenever they saw it and remembered the scene. For another, I got some fantastic looks sent my way when I wore it for real. After that, well..." He spreads his hands apart. "It just sort of ended up a tradition! For Halloween, my costume is Sexy Friend."

"I'm not sure if that's what I'd call it," Leonie says, still smiling, "but it's definitely fun."

Fun... Dimitri rests one cheek in his hand, musing aloud. "You know, now that you mention it, I can't recall the last time I participated in Halloween... At least not at a party or dressing up. I don't even really watch much television, when October rolls around." Horror isn't something that interests him, even in the circumstances where it's not full of tropes he's rather sick of. He supposes it's just a matter of taste. At the end of the day, he'd rather just indulge in something with a happy ending, where the characters may suffer but that pain almost has meaning so long as they can reach the end of the tale. Horror stories have never been a good source of that.

That stirs Claude's interest. "Oh? Well, me and my friends are having a party, if you're interested. It's a little late as far as invitations go, but you could probably find a costume pretty quickly."

"Well, I may not be going to any parties, but..." Dimitri rakes some of his hair back. "I am going to be staying home for an event the apartment complex is doing...? It turns out there are actually a fair amount of children living there, which surprised me. So I signed up for the trick or treating run they have. They sent out mail asking who would have candy in their apartment this year so that they can make a list for parents, so.... I thought it might... possibly be time to start socializing in my apartment complex and signed up." He spreads his hands out sheepishly. "It's probably past due for me to cultivate a reputation that isn't 'strange man who zones out in front of his mailbox accidentally glaring at his cell phone bill'."

Claude laughs. "Yeah, I imagine that definitely makes some people wonder. But there's no nobler cause than contributing to hyperactive children living out one of the best days of their year."

That's one way to put it, and Dimitri shakes his head while he smiles. "Hopefully their parents understand... But I had spoken about it at my last meeting with Doctor Byleth, and they agreed that it would be a good idea that won't overwhelm me. Oh- That reminds me." He begins to dig out his phone again. "Just the other day, I remembered something, and I thought you would like it. Or, at least, you would be rather interested in it. It's of both the Professor and the Doctor, when I first began seeing them."

"Ooooh?" Claude leans closer to the glass separating them. Dimitri needs a minute, to go through the rather enormous amount of photos he has stored in his phone, before he turns it around to show Claude. Almost immediately, his eyes light up like a neon sign. "The brown hair!" he exclaims in a hushed whisper, hand going to the growing grin on his face. "I still want to know if that's their natural hair color."

All he can do is shrug. "I don't know. The pictures on their desks had the third triplet with the same hair color. When their hair changed to green, the pictures all seemed to match... At least, from what I can remember."

Instead of disappointing Claude, this just seems to excite him further. "They coordinate with each other on how they dye their hair! This is amazing. I need to know more."

"I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors," Dimitri chuckles, pulling his phone away. "At any rate, so that's what I've signed up for. I won't be wasting away in my apartment doing nothing. Although... Afterwards, there are some plans that I would like to do."

"Do tell."

"Well..." Dimitri bites his lip, only to remember himself and stop in short order. "Do you have any plans a couple of days after Halloween...?"

That makes Claude pause, surprised for only a split second before his lips part in that pleased warm smile. "You know, I think I could make some time... But only under the right circumstances. Maybe if someone asked me, and he was tall, muscular, blond..."

"What a coincidence." He didn't mean for things to get like this, he swears. It's just, Dimitri can't stop smiling at that response, even as Leonie shakes her head in what he hopes is at least fond exasperation. "I think I fulfill all those requirements. So, I was thinking..."

It's an explanation that he's not able to finish. That's around the time more people begin to filter through the door, and Dimitri falls silent so that Claude can get back to his job. Yet the line never seems to quite end, someone new always joining right as someone else goes to wait for their drink. Eventually, he realizes that there's no end to it, and thus there's no real reason for him to hang around either. He gets up to put his cup in the recycling, waits until he's sure Claude's eyes are free, and waggles his hand awkwardly by his head. Really, he's taken up enough of his time as it is. For the date details, he can simply text or call him.

That's enough for Claude to understand, and he smiles, winking to Dimitri before moving on to the next person in line.





↣ so how are the trick or treaters treating you

↣ ( ˘ ³˘)♥

⇀ Hello, Claude.

⇀ It's going really well, I think. Ingrid is here spending the night with me. We're watching a movie in-between children knocking at the door.

⇀ She brought a fake halo and a winged backpack as a casual costume, so it's really nice.

⇀ Oh! Look!

⇀ 『IMAGE ATTACHED』

↣ lol so you got a costume in the end anyway

⇀ It's only a headband but I feel like I'm a little more in the spirit.

⇀ Children keep saying I'm a werewolf pirate.

↣ well you're cute no matter what you are

↣ ৲( ᵒ ૩ᵕ )৴♡*৹

↣ but it's pretty fitting you're a big bad wolf

↣ here's what i'm wearing at the party

↣ 『IMAGE ATTACHED』

↣ ( ๑ ❛ ڡ ❛ ๑ )

↣ fifteen minutes and no response huh?

↣ i'll take that as a pretty good reaction

⇀ I'm sorry about that.

⇀ But Claude, I'm giving children candy!

⇀ Please don't spring that on me.

↣ whoops~

↣ but thoughts?

⇀ I didn't realize red riding hood had so much lace.

↣ so you like lace~

↣ got it~

⇀ Claude, no!

↣ i'll make sure to wear some to our date tomorrow night

↣ (=｀ω´=)

⇀ We're going to get kicked out!