Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There's truly nothing like the sound of a cat yowling for attention, save for when that exact same cat is trying to walk around everyone's feet while many heavy boxes are being hauled around. Lorenz nearly trips over him at least five times; Claude barely avoids the same fate. Maybe he has his acrobatic classes from his childhood to thank.

As he wheels more boxes into the apartment, Claude makes sure to establish eye contact with the noisy little menace. "You know," he tells him, one eyebrow raised, "with how many treats you've coerced out of us when we've visited over the months, you could at least be a good roommate. You know. Not try to kill us when we're trying to move in? That's only good roommate etiquette, Lewie. And I thought you would be so happy about all of this, too."

Loog-Lewis-Lewie "King (of the Apartment)" Edmund-Blaiddyd merely hops onto the kitchen counter, and blinks at him with his big ol' eyes. Orange stripes, white splotches - he could be any other stray in the city. Instead, he's the pampered feline child to a pair of adoptive parents who would give him the world and a little more. Truly, lives change thanks to adoption centers and huge bleeding hearts.

Mostly Claude, Lorenz, and Hilda's lives, he's pretty sure, considering Loog leaps off of the counter to immediately pester Hilda with absolutely no care for Claude's words.

Shaking his head in amusement, Claude continues to roll his latest pile of boxes into the large space that was occasionally a dining area, and is now mostly just box storage.

Honestly, at this stage, most of the apartment has become box storage. That's not particularly surprising. Sure, their old apartment might have only had three people in it, but the three of them had been renting it for a long while. Claude wouldn't say that they're all material creatures.... except, no, that's exactly what all three of them are, each in their own way.

Lorenz alone could probably fill a little apartment all on his own with his list of creature comforts, and Hilda basically matches him on sheer numbers. Although, granted her makeup might take a little less space than the things Lorenz prefers. Claude has to admit that he's always been genuinely impressed with their organizational skills, whenever he's peeked into their rooms or watched them put together the space in their old apartment's more public areas. He doesn't know anyone else who can fit so much into so little.

Of course, it would be hypocritical of him to be anything but impressed. The boxes that he starts to put to the side, a large stack that's only been growing, are covered in dragon stickers to mark them as his. They are monstrous in their weight. Yeah, he can't judge them, because if he did, he'd have to judge himself, first. Books seem light one-on-one, but once they fill up all the space in a cardboard box....

Nosy as ever, enough to challenge Claude's own title for the crown, Loog trots over to inspect the latest additions to his home. Chuckling as he moves the last box, Claude leans down so he can scratch behind the cat's ears. "Nothing for you, buddy. Sorry."

"Really now, Claude." Putting down his own latest box, Lorenz huffs and rolls his neck to get the cricks out of it. All this manual labor has forced him to change up his usual look for this morning, with that vibrant hair pulled back into a ponytail that has, more than once, been subject to cat swatting. It would be a very charming look for him, in all honesty, save for that pinched expression on his face. "Lewis receives so much favor and overindulgence from his owners that he hardly needs a teaspoon more of it."

"Cranky because the apartment cat doesn't love you more, are you?" Claude purrs, and grins widely when Lorenz pinches the bridge of his nose.

It's a conversation with imperfect timing, because that's around the time that Marianne and Dimitri enter the apartment. She begins to fuss almost immediately, apparently catching some tail end of the conversation. "I'm sorry, was Loog getting in the way again?" she asks.

That's the only sound the cat ever needs to hear before he's zooming off from Claude and right towards Marianne's feet. Fortunately, Marianne is only holding a relatively small box, and it's easy to place it on the kitchen counter in order to lavish attention on the king of the apartment.

Of course, if Marianne is only carrying one tiny box that probably weighs almost nothing, especially in comparison to things like Claude's books... Dimitri is carrying a much heftier pile himself, bigger and guaranteed to be heavier. He doesn't seem particularly bothered by any of it as he carefully steps around Marianne, and makes his way further into his apartment.

As he carefully lets the boxes join their many kin, he speaks up. "We thought about putting him in his carrier, so that he would stay out of the way..." Straightening up, Dimitri stretches his arms a little, because even a gym jock like himself is being put to the test with all the things that have been moved out of Claude's old apartment. Well, that's fine with Claude. Perching on some of the sturdier boxes, he lets his eyes take in the way Dimitri's muscles stretch and tense. "However, he doesn't like being kept in it for extended periods of time.... We are working on it, of course, but it's something that has been taking time."

Speak of the devil, and a cat appears. Once Marianne stops petting him, Loog immediately darts over in the direction of his other favorite human in existence. He makes quite the running leap, getting up most of Dimitri's thigh before a pair of large hands scoop him up. Dimitri is gentle to a fawning degree as he deposits Loog onto his shoulder, whereupon the cat receives even more attention and adoration.

"Truly the most spoiled cat in the world," Claude says under his breath, laughing a little.

"Did you say something, Claude?"

"Just a little tease, Mitya," he says, and feels his own grin soften into a smile when he sees the way Dimitri looks at him for just that one sentence. Or, rather, the sentence has nothing to do with anything... but rather, it's the nickname which makes Dimitri look at Claude as though he's taken up his entire world.

"Mitya" is a relatively new development, honestly, a new nickname on Claude's tongue that's only really flourished in recent months... and it's been completely worth it, he has to say. Anything that makes Dimitri look at him so softly, in that way... He'd give any amount of money for it.

Of course, that's when Lorenz decides to intrude on the moment - which, yeah, Claude guesses was kind of public. And, yeah, he guesses they should probably focus on the day ahead of them. And, sure, maybe him and Dimitri would potentially get sidetracked completely if they were allowed to have as many little moments like this with each other as they want. But still. A little bit of reading the mood wouldn't be unappreciated.

"Marianne, Dimitri, he's been running amuck this entire morning." Lorenz gives an indignant sweep of his hand to where Loog is living it up on Dimitri's shoulders, the most loved cat in probably the entire apartment building. "Surely you've both noticed, haven't you?"

Marianne, who could charm a three headed dog guardian of the afterlife with her voice until he was obediently heeling at her side, looks mildly embarrassed even as she drifts over to Hilda's side. "Oh, I'm sorry, Lorenz. I'm afraid I haven't." If she sounds a little absentminded, well, that would be because she immediately gets roped into helping Hilda put away some fresh groceries that she'd ducked out to retrieve from the hall. Although it would be more accurate to say it's self indulgent, considering that Hilda immediately whips up some smoothies for all of them.

Politely, and also because it's fruitless (ha) to talk over the sound of a blender, Dimitri waits until Hilda is done to smile apologetically at Lorenz. "He always manages to stay out of the way when I'm here," Dimitri says, one hand rising slightly to make sure his newest furry shoulder accessory doesn't fall off and probably tear through his clothing on the way down. "Although I of course can't speak for when we're both gone..."

"Oh goddess," Hilda laughs, pouring smoothies into four different glasses. "Listen to the way you two refer to him! It's like you're parents. I don't remember acting like that when I was a kid and had pets." She grins widely over at Claude. "Have we been replaced?"

Clicking his tongue, Claude leans against Dimitri's side and tilts his head back to watch Loog. Just as curious as he is, the cat glances back at him before beginning the tricky process of trying to turn around on the narrow space Dimitri's shoulders provide. "I don't know, Dimitri." Claude's grin is absolutely the kind of terrible one he knows has killed Lorenz before. "Have I been replaced because Marianne gave you a kid before I could?"

"Claude-!"

"Oops, I meant 'cat', not 'kid'," Claude corrects, even as his grin spreads wider. While he loves Dimitri's smile, and his muscles, and the way his eyes go soft... Claude especially loves the way he gets so scandalized or stern when it comes to getting teased. "Just a slip of the tongue~."

Poor Lorenz, all alone without his girlfriend to mercilessly rib him. He sighs, clearly aware of this fact, and shakes his head. "I believe we've rather gotten off track..."

Hilda claps her hands together, the sound sharp in the large space the apartment provides... although not as much as it might have been, once upon a time, when it was only Dimitri living here. "I think we should get off the road entirely. I mean, it's noon already! Why don't we all take a well deserved break? Which remiiiinds me..."

Daintily placing the tips of her fingers together, Hilda tilts her chin down so that she can look up from beneath her eyelashes in that trademark doe-eyed look of hers that has caused the ruin of many a person. "Thank you again sooooo much for letting me borrow the blender, Dimitri! And for taking over some of the boxes when I got tired too! Your smoothie has extra love in it. By which I mean blueberries."

Adjusting his shoulders so that Loog can traverse them easier, all in order to lean down and begin gently gnawing on Claude's hair, Dimitri grins Hilda. "Well, I did promise you once upon a time that I would help with any lifting you needed, or if you wanted something to borrow." His lips twitch into a small smile. "Although at the time, I can't have thought that the circumstances would be like this."

No... None of them could have seen this coming, Claude supposes. It's been a good few years since him and Dimitri first started dating, one year since Marianne became his roommate, and four months since Claude, Lorenz, and Hilda all decided that they didn't care to stay much longer in their cramped and now thankfully previous apartment. Not with a landlord that had become increasingly more frustrating to deal with, at any rate.

"Hilda, I'm afraid there are only four glasses," Lorenz says, snapping Claude out of his nostalgic reverie. In the time that he's been spacing out, his favorite example of a hoity toity human being has gone into the kitchen himself.

"Whups!" Hilda closes one eye in a charming little wink, cute in her apologetic tone, which means all of this is on purpose for some reason. "I'm sorry, Lorenz. I just spaced out. Here, why don't you have the one I was going to take? I don't mind."

Marianne immediately starts to fuss. "But you deserve a drink too, Hilda. You were working so hard this morning before Lorenz made it here... Especially when I dropped everything and you cleaned it up..."

Truly, he and Hilda were blessed to not exist in a world where they'd have cat ears. Claude can almost imagine a pair twitching atop Hilda's head as she turns to beam in Marianne's direction. "Aww, you're so sweet. But if that's how you feel, how about we share one of the smoothies between us?" She winks again, holding up one finger. "I think I saw some straws in one of the drawers!"

Oh, now that's adorable. Claude chuckles a bit watching the exchange. Hilda could be so obvious and upfront if she wanted, but she still seems to love flirting with Marianne like this, as though they're a pair of schoolgirls again. Maybe because it always seems to perk Marianne up, getting cute little gestures like this. Or maybe they both just like the game.

Claude knows the feeling, especially now, with the way that Dimitri shifts in order to wind his arm around Claude's waist. Loog tries to make his way down from shoulder to arm to the connection between both men, but he quickly gives up, leaping down onto the floor. Claude only barely notices.

He's more interested in the gentle tickle that is Dimitri's breath against the curly hair along Claude's neck, and the gentle sensation of lips following the curve of his ear. "I haven't had time this morning to say it," he murmurs, just for him, "but I'm glad you're wearing those earrings today."

Oh, he knew that Dimitri would like them, especially with what they represent for today, as he moves in with him, and their mutual friends. That doesn't stop Claude from being any less pleased as he reaches behind him in order to twine their fingers together. "You can admire them while we get Hilda's smoothies, the ones she so generously made for us," he says, winking back at Dimitri.

Well, he might say that... But even as he tugs Dimitri along into the kitchen - the kitchen that will soon be shared between all five of them, their kitchen - Claude still reaches up with his free hand until his fingertips are touching lukewarm metal. That simple faint touch is reassuring, somehow... Or maybe it's not the sensation of touch that's reassuring at all.

Maybe it's the memories.





When Dimitri slides the blindfold down from Claude's eyes, delighted laughter leaps from his mouth. "Now isn't this nostalgic!" he says, looking upon the sign which cheerfully welcomes them to the zoo once again.

No wonder Dimitri had been blaring some of his heavier rock music on the ride here; that kind of noise has definitely done its job in blocking out any sounds Claude would have used to realize their destination. It's taken a year of dating, but Dimitri has clearly learned a lot on how to handle Claude's cleverness in that year. Who knows what will happen by the next?

Beaming proudly, Dimitri takes the wheel again so that he can guide the car properly into the parking lot. A space needs to be hunted down. "It's been a while," he agrees, eyeing another car pulling out and quick to slide his own vehicle into the gap before anyone else. Victory achieved, he shuts off the engine. "But since it's been a year, I thought it would be nice to visit this place again."

He says it so coyly, eye flicking to Claude and back again as he gets a familiar blue jacket around his shoulders- one that a viking like him absolutely doesn't need. Claude winks at him the next chance he gets, which happens to be when they make eye contact over the roof of Dimitri's car. The coyness, the jacket, the zoo - it's all too damn cute. "And I'm sure that it has nothing to do with today being the first anniversary celebrating our first date, right?"

"Ah..." A small smile draws itself across Dimitri's lips, and he shakes his head. "I should have known you would have kept track of the date yourself. I never should have tried hiding it from you in the first place, should I?"

"Heh, well... You're not the only one who's been eagerly counting down the days." Dimitri waits for him around the car, arm offered out, and Claude gladly takes it while a comforting sense of nostalgia washes over him. It became like this, too, all that time ago.

Yet, at the same time, how different things are compared to then, when they both came here for the first time, both as separate individuals and as a couple. Not that they'd realized they'd become one, of course, not on that first date where Dimitri had been nervously looking at his phone to make sure he'd taken his pills for the day and Claude was obliviously checking out the attractive blond from a distance...

The zoo is also different from that day, although more in the little things than anything major. It's a warmer day, today, and thus has become more bustling as people take advantage of the good weather. He can even see someone in a lion costume posing for kids in front as him and Dimitri settle into the long line.

Both of them reach for their phone to take a quick snap of the image, pausing as they realize their synchronicity before they burst into laughter. When they're a little closer to the front of the line, Dimitri leans against him, his head resting against Claude's, and he can feel his heart flutter not too unlike that afternoon when a coat was draped across his shoulders.

Sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. He couldn't be happier that this is one of them.

While the changes of the zoo are minor, the big picture has also mostly stayed the same. The map they look over upon entering still seems fairly unchanged. That's also true for a lot of the little exhibits they visit first - the ones that don't really have anything to do with the actual animals. It's a feeling that's almost more than nostalgic, a feeling as though he could close his eyes and open them again to find himself a year younger.

As they wander out from the food preparation area, the penguins next on their list of attractions to visit, Claude takes out his phone with a smile. Would his old self have imagined this? Would he have thought that just one date from a strange and silly encounter could become a relationship that has his heart nearly aching from how happy he is?

Dimitri takes note of what he's doing and perks up. "Oh, are you texting Hilda? Perhaps we can get her something at the gift shop before we leave."

"Oh, I'm sure she would love some kitschy tourist jewelry," Claude agrees. "But this text is heading your way, not hers. Honestly, you caught me before I could give you the heads up. It was just meant to be a reminder of how things have been going so far." It hadn't escaped his notice that Dimitri had been preoccupied earlier, after all. Too preoccupied to leave his usual journal notes.

Sure enough, a startled laugh leaves Dimitri. "Oh- I was so excited for this that I forgot. That was my mistake." And then there's that moment, the one Claude has had months to get used to, where he's clearly struggling to not apologize. He's done it more than a few times, in the past - apologizing and feeling bad whenever Claude does something that Dimitri feels was up to him to do for his own sake. Something he felt was his responsibility.

Honestly, it's been a little bit of a struggle in their relationship. Claude gets it, he does. Of course he does. Independence is important for a guy like Dimitri. While he doesn't know the whole story, Claude knows enough. This is the kind of thing that Dimitri has had to really fight for, and that was after already fighting just to be in a place where he could have it at all, a stable place. If Dimitri weren't lucky in a lot of ways... He might not have it at all.

Still... It's not a bad thing if someone else does something for him. If Claude does something for him, and even likes that he can do it. They had to have a talk about it eventually... naturally. The sky didn't fall. Their relationship is still going strong, and was never anything he had to hold back on, or plan against.

Dimitri just quietly struggles against his own nature, letting out a small breath before he smiles at Claude. Instead of an apology, he quietly says, "Thank you, Claude."

He winks. "Think of it as an anniversary treat," he tells him, casually neglecting to inform his boyfriend of the other anniversary treat he has hidden in the backseat of Dimitri's car.

It's going to take a little bit of scheming to convince Dimitri to go to the edge of town, in a nice little isolated spot where people aren't particularly likely to stumble upon them as they watch the sunset together... and even more scheming so that he can grab a chance to slip on the body harness he has waiting for him, in a time and place Dimitri won't suspect.

He as lucky enough to buy it for himself before Dimitri could buy it for him, when they saw it on a website a couple months ago. The guy is way too self dependent for gifts, Claude swears. Fortunately, he won the race this time, and has a few ideas already on presentation. If worse comes to worse, then he's always been great at improvisation, too.

That is for later, however. Here in the present, they go through the zoo much the same way they did a year ago, when they weren't so familiar with the place, or each other. Some animals have clearly had their exhibits remodeled, or gotten more roommates, or less. Yet overall, a lot has remained untouched, likely so that the animals aren't bothered or stressed by too much change.

With that said, it's unsurprising that the place which has gone the most notable change is the escape room which is still happily where it was last year. It's not a complete overhaul, since the puzzle theme of course still has to stay connected to zoos or at least animals in general, but the theme has changed.

Brochures have even been left out, for once, at the window counter, and they detail a story of how some ambitious avians have ended up a lot more clever than anyone expected. That is the reason everyone is "trapped" this go around. It's still silly, still a little childish, but it still looks fun, and that's the most important part.

The eyepatch girl from last year still works there, as it turns out. Her and Dimitri share yet another Socially Awkward Eyepatch Bonding moment, patiently ignored by the beanie from before as he rings the two of them up. In another difference from last year, there's actually enough people this time around to form an actual real group.

It's a small family, one that would almost be nuclear if the individuals involved weren't so unique in their own way: a dumb boisterous blond of a father who insists he's a teacher which might be true, his wife a much more serious and quiet brunette that gives murderous rabbit vibes, and finally their anxiety riddled son.

It's stupid, and it's silly, with bird themed puns shoved in every possible place they can be, and a few they shouldn't be at all. They almost don't make it out in time, thanks to some dumb shenanigans on the part of the blond dad and Dimitri's own fumbling with some puzzles. They also almost end up adopting the kid away from his parents, too, with how much Dimitri latches onto him dotingly.

Claude loves it. Every second of it.

"When did you get so good at handling kids?" Claude asks a little while later, when they're finally out of the escape room and he's in the process of tugging Dimitri's arm around his shoulder to absolutely zero protest.

Dimitri chuckles, letting his hand rest along Claude's shoulder. "Do I not look like I'm good at dealing with children?" he asks, gently squeezing down.

"I suppose it's just not something I get to see from you a lot. Although maybe I shouldn't be surprised." Claude grins. "You are the guy who managed to win over the hearts of an apartment's worth of children with your underhanded soda schemes."

"Oh, hush, you." Dimitri presses a kiss into Claude's hair with a wide smile. "So, how was I this time around? Did I have more fun by your standards?"

It only takes a brief second for Claude to catch onto what he means, and he huffs out a quiet laugh under his breath. He's known for a long time now, perhaps ever since they immediately had lunch together on that very first date, that Dimitri has never really blamed him for how he messed with him in the escape room the first time around. That had been nothing short of good luck on both their parts; it's nice to know that Dimitri can joke about that kind of thing these days. Still, it hadn't been a good thing to do just because he was lucky there were no consequences.

"Oh, you absolutely nailed it." Lightly, fondly, he nudges his elbow against Dimitri's side. "I'm starting to wonder if you should take on a teaching career for little kids. They'd love you."

"Oh, no." Dimitri's eyebrows rise up in surprise. "I can't imagine I would ever get hired for that sort of thing. Although I... suppose it's nice to daydream about..." Ha. Claude's grin softens into something of a smile as he watches Dimitri's gaze, the way it drifts off a little in vacant consideration.

It's always been more than obvious to him that Dimitri loves playing with kids, being the mentor or big brother type. It's probably why he got on with Annette and Ashe in the first place whenever they all first met; even now Dimitri lavishes attention onto them like they were his own younger siblings.

Well, whether it can happen or not, whether Dimitri wants it to happen or not, the thought is in his head now. Claude will let him have the time to chew on it, and of course help him with it if that's what he wants.

For now, he just leans against Dimitri a little more. "If nothing else, I know there are some younger people in the band that would love to have a big, tough, and friendly guy like you to show them the ropes. But that's for later. Right now, I think someone else is going to be happy to see you."

"They must already be tired of people today," Dimitri notes with a shake of his head. "Or even simply tired of the game." Maybe he has a point. After all, as they start approaching the lion exhibit, it's pretty clear that plenty of the lions look rather content with what they all have going on right now.

Perhaps because of the good weather, most of them are out in the main exhibit area playing with each other. One notable example would be a lioness who's constantly chasing her companion into the shallows of the water until he's stomping out again with soaking wet paws and a grumpy expression. It's a pretty cute sight - not for the lion himself, of course, but Dimitri is already beaming as he catches a glimpse of their shenanigans.

Of course, where there's so many lions out on display, that means a whole lot of people have come by to check them out. The tug-of-war rope is still in place, with a rather noisy group of guys clustered around it. Yet no matter what they try to do, most of the lions seem to be ignoring them, with a couple not looking particularly impressed.

Claude patiently waits for them to wander off when it's clear that no lion will take the bait, and then nudges Dimitri closer. "Well, in the case of those guys, I think it's because their yelling wouldn't appeal to anything with the ability to hear them," he teases, winking up at Dimitri. "Why not give it a go?"

Shrugging, Dimitri slides his arm out of Claude's grasp. "I'll do it because you asked me to, again," he says, stepping up to the rope with an amused tilt to his smile. "But I really don't think... Oh."

That's when Dimitri has to pause, thanks to a lioness which has perked up at his approach. Abandoning her sunbathing, she gets up with a long lazy stretch before approaching to lazily inquiring about the other end of the rope with a light bat of her paw. She does it a couple of times, actually, before looking up inquisitively at Dimitri on the other side of the glass.

In turn, Dimitri looks back at Claude with a look of positively shocked befuddlement. "Did you bribe the lions before we arrived here?" he accuses playfully. He knows just as well as Claude that sort of thing is outright impossible with how Dimitri sprung this trip onto Claude as a surprise. "How on earth can you do that?"

A loud laugh bursts out of Claude, right from the very depths of his chest. "Hey, don't try to accuse me of bribery!" He winks, tucking his hands into his pockets now that he doesn't have Dimitri at his side to warm him up. "You know what? I think she might actually be the same lioness from last year you played with."

"Oh, do you think so?" Dimitri takes his words completely at face value, and glances towards the lioness again. "I wonder if the memories of a lion can truly be that good... Well, I don't want to disappoint her, then. It's unfortunate that it may make the commotion they dislike even worse."

It's not only the lions that will be unimpressed at all the noise, if Dimitri's own head shake is any indication. He didn't care for all the attention last year, either. Regardless of that fact, he shrugs out of his light jacket to reveal a simple tee shirt underneath. Just like before, Claude accepts it with a grin.

Honestly, he wasn't even lying when he said that. While he's watched a certain little video a lot less ever since he got to regularly put his hands all over the real thing, it's still something he's played probably hundreds of times by now. Of course, his attention was always focused most towards Dimitri. That had been the main point of it. Yet Claude is the kind of person who's always focusing on the details. That goes doubly true when he's rewatching something a dozen of times, every time bringing to light new details, or something else to appreciate.

So obviously he had noticed various details about the lioness from a year ago - her build, certain scars on her body, patterns along her fur. Claude is more than sure enough of his own memory, and he'd bet actual money that it's the same lovely lady from back then.

Just like last time - possibly even more than last time - such a tug of war spectacle draws a small and excited crowd. Just like last time, Dimitri eventually concedes victory to the lioness who wears satisfaction around her like a crown. Dimitri wastes no time in hustling himself and Claude away from the exhibit and the gathered crowd, escaping the many gazes there before it can get to be too much.

While he's shrugging himself back into his jacket and retrieves his phone to check the time, Dimitri makes a small noise of remembrance. "Oh, that's right..." He glances down at Claude with a hesitant smile. "Before we have lunch, would you mind if we took a brief while to go watch a show they're doing nearby, Claude? I saw it was advertised when I was planning all of this."

A show, huh? That could describe a lot of events in the zoo. Claude grins back. "Hey, anything to take a break from all the walking we've been doing. Lead the way, Mitya."

It's a new nickname, casually dropped, and he watches as Dimitri comes to a complete stop, all while blinking a couple of times in realization. "Mitya?" he echoes.

"That's right," Claude confirms. "Mitya. From Dimitri." With his eyes shining from underneath his eyelashes, Claude smiles. "What do you think of it?"

There are a lot of great and beautiful things in the world; Claude is blessed to say that he's seen more than a few of them. He has so many examples that it's kind of difficult figuring out where to even start. Should he think of his family first? How, even with the many troubles and tensions that exist with them, he'll always feel such a serenity whenever when takes in a deep breath of Almyran cooking?

Maybe he could recall all of his experiences with his activist band, like the energy that fills the practice room when they all first gathered together for this little idea that didn't seem like it would go anywhere. Or what about the first time he rallied the band together in a protest, seeing their eyes all turn to him for guidance, for encouragement? Or maybe it had been looking out into the crowd during that first performance, and feeling his body feel alight with an indescribable feeling as he'd watched the rest of the protest nearly glow with renewed energy.

A million little things besides that: the blend of colors stretching over a city in the dawn, watching a falconer as a kid and seeing two entities almost seem to act as one despite separated flesh and soul, so many instances of simple human kindness that make him think the world really can become incredible if they just keep working for it... He'll never forget any of it.

He won't forget this, either: the way Dimitri's gaze softens in such a lovely ache, how his lips curve into a smile so tender it takes Claude's breath away, a gentle and sweet touch just to the back of Claude's elbow...

"I love it," he says quietly, and Claude knows he means it in a way that goes so earnestly bone deep.

That's another great and beautiful thing.

The show that Dimitri apparently saw advertised has to do with the different kind of primates that exist in the world. Granted, for the purpose of the show, that means mostly using the cute and cuddly kind who have the least likelihood of going absolutely feral and horrifically maiming someone. The zoo employees don't say as such, of course, because presumably they have common sense. Well, no matter how cute the monkeys might be, Claude never thought they were an animal Dimitri cared about before to any particular degree.

Eh. Obviously he has some sort of interest now, so Claude is more than happy to indulge him as the two of them make themselves as comfortable as they possibly can in cheap plastic zoo seating. The show is pretty cute and informative, honestly, which is only to be expected of a zoo show featuring adorable animals. A lot of the jokes are even pretty funny, with puns and gags that obviously had a lot of thought put into them before the show ever went live. It's honestly not bad - pretty enjoyable even.

By the end, along with all the families and their kids, he's clapping for the whole performance. Unlike most of those people, however he doesn't leave immediately with the show finished. That's because of the hand Dimitri sets on his shoulder even as the two of them are getting out of their seats. "I was thinking of asking the trainer a couple of questions. Would you mind waiting a little while longer for lunch?"

"You sure keep delaying lunch, huh?" Claude chuckles, stretching his arms up over his head. "There still better be some left for us after the hordes of families have cleared out the grill and any vendors around. But I'm fine with it, if you're confident that we'll still be able to feed ourselves. You especially need some lunch, after your match with the lion."

"I don't think it will take too long," Dimitri promises him, and offers him a hand. So he's going to be a part of this conversation too, huh? Claude doesn't mind, smiling to Dimitri as he accepts that hand so that Dimitri can escort him all the way down the stairs to the performance area.

By the time they get there, past all the seats and steps, most of the monkeys seem to have been taken back to wherever they need to go. Maybe that's a little separate chill out area for them to get over all the attention, or maybe it's straight back to their enclosures. Claude can't say he's an expert in educational performance animals.

All that's left on the stage would be one of the trainers, and a small monkey that they're keeping along their shoulders. Thanks to both his reading of zoo exhibit signs and the educational show that they just finished watching, Claude can recognize it as a Capuchin monkey.

A lot of toys are still scattered around the temporary monkey playground, from the tinier things that they can toss and catch around in their little monkey hands to the much larger sets that are like cat trees, but for monkeys, with little bridges connecting one or two while others have little toys installed in their very design.

The trainer seems more than happy to hold back on clean up for a little while longer to talk to the two of them, keeping their little monkey friend occupied at the same time with a talent born of experience. Before long, them and Dimitri have launched into a conversation about the kind of enrichment play that monkeys prefer the most.

Claude wouldn't have said, beforehand, that it's a topic he has a lot of investment or interest in... But on the other hand, it's him. He's always curious about everything. So he participates, a little bit, making noises of acknowledgment, nodding his head, asking a question here or there.

But this is ultimately Dimitri's conversation, so he leaves it to him. After a little while, the trainer offers to give them a slightly more personal demonstration of just what their little monkey can do, after most of the audience has finally filtered out of the area.

Honestly, at that rate, Claude isn't even that surprised when Dimitri turns to look down at him with that pretty blue eye sparkling hopefully and his lips curved in a sheepish little smile. "Could we stay just a moment longer?" he asks, as if he's a kid who needs permission. Well, it's really the opposite that's happening here.

They are going to have such a late lunch, but what is he supposed to do? He can't say no to a cute expression like that. "I think we can stay a little while," he agrees, like an absolute sucker for his beefy and cute boyfriend, and gets rewarded for his trouble by another one of those brilliant smiles. With permission given, he turns his attention back to the trainer and their monkey as well.

With all the play items still around the area, it's pretty easy for the trainer to get things ready. First, the monkey is put in their little carrier so that they can't see exactly what the trainer is doing, or run off to cause mischief. With that taken care of, the trainer promptly goes around the area, placing various cups around upside down. Claude is pretty sure he spots them putting something underneath one of the cups, but, with their back to Claude, it's hard to see exactly what it is.

Probably a treat, if he had to guess, or maybe something that is given to the trainer in exchange for a treat. This is supposed to be enrichment play, after all. It doesn't really matter what exactly it is, Claude guesses. With all of that done with, the monkey is set loose again while the trainer makes sure to follow close behind the little scamp as they immediately starts investigating their play space all over again.

Claude won't lie: it's adorable watching the monkey carefully peer under every cup, only to flop back in a clear case of overdramatics when it only finds empty space waiting for them. A guy can really notice the human-monkey connection in moments like these. After all, there are only so many creatures in the world that really aspire to such melodrama, with monkeys and humans placing definitely up in the top. Him and Dimitri do their best to give quiet little cheers for the monkey, encouraging the tiny troublemaker on.

Eventually, one of the cups is upturned, and the monkey gives a chitter of delight as their little hands surge towards... something. Claude isn't entirely sure what it is, honestly. At least, he's not sure until the monkey hops back onto the trainer's shoulders so that the pair can walk back to them, whereupon the little primate leans forward with a tiny cardboard box held gingerly in both hands. Tiny, simple. The kind jewelry is kept in.

Understanding wells up in him almost before his observations have had a chance to solidify into thoughts, before he can even finish extending one hand so that the monkey can deposit their prize. "Someone certainly planned something behind my back while I wasn't looking," he says, casting a pleased little smile from underneath his eyelashes. With a job well done, the trainer steps away to reward the monkey for its Cupid-like participation, and also to give him and Dimitri a little bit of privacy.

Sheepish but undeniably satisfied with how things have gone according to plan, Dimitri bows his head and smiles at Claude behind his bangs. "I did think about doing something like this in a more public matter, since I know you don't care about crowds one way or the other... but I thought it might be a little too much for me. Annette thought that something like this could work, after the show itself, and the zoo was fortunately more than amiable towards the idea."

Objectively, purely objectively, Claude knows he can't give Dimitri an award for being the most adorable boyfriend in the entire world. That's just pure bias. He feels he's right, but it's pure bias. Yet that doesn't stop the feelings from blossoming in his chest anyway, putting his heart into bloom, and he has to redirect his smile down towards the box he's still holding. Otherwise, he feels he might disintegrate from pure love alone.

"You're really something," he says softly, before he gently pops the lid off. It's not hard or complicated. It's the kind of box that would carry any kind of store bought jewelry, likely chosen so that he could do what he's doing right now: open it immediately to see this precious anniversary gift that Dimitri has gotten for him.

He's glad that decision was made, as he looks into the box, because the jewelry waiting for him inside is anything but simple and uncomplicated. Inside lay a pair of earrings, brilliant in the autumn sunlight. They're not the kind of earrings which are huge and dangle, which makes sense since Claude can't imagine Dimitri ever picking out a pair like that unless the recipient was very blatantly and vocally into that kind of thing. Claude isn't. Not usually. Besides, those would have required a bigger box, and a bigger box would have been hard for tiny monkey hands to hold.

Yet while the earrings might be of the smaller variety, little things that he can slide in with no fuss, that doesn't mean they aren't beautifully intricate as well. There's a delicacy to the way the earrings have been inlaid with a swooping swirl of a pattern, something beautiful that had to be chosen with the utmost care. It's Dimitri; they can't have been chosen with anything but.

Claude doesn't - can't - wait a second longer. Resting the box on a nearby chair, far away from any playful monkeys that might slip loose from their trainers, he immediately begins to remove the earrings he's currently wearing. They're nothing fancy either, only a pair of tiny hoops, so it's not that hard.

Just like that, his old earrings are out, and the new ones are in, snug where they press into his skin. "It's a shame that I can't admire myself in a mirror right now," he says, turning around and sliding his arms around Dimitri's shoulders. "But there's something else I want to do far more."

And that's kissing Dimitri, something he'll never regret doing.

Needless to say, a lot of thanks are given to the trainer, once Claude can stop kissing Dimitri stupid. The monkey gets a couple of thanks as well, for being the star of the show, and that includes handing off a few treats. Yet they don't waste anymore time there, with their stomachs grumbling and Dimitri's goal accomplished.

Unfortunately, all this monkeying around means a lot of seats are taken at the grill when they finally arrive, and the table that they do get isn't one by the windows. It's a little bit of a pity, honestly, to be unable to watch the otters playing around as they eat... but Claude can't blame anyone else for taking those seats. They're the best in the house. He knows from firsthand experience.

Or... He takes that back. The best seats in the house would be the ones him and Dimitri take, with pizza inbetween them, and their hands linked across the table.

Sometimes - right now especially - Claude feels glad that he never really went to the zoo a lot before he started dating Dimitri, that he had no reason or interest in it. Now... Now it's something that he will always think of in the context of them together, like this.





It take some concentrated effort, but eventually they do manage to transfer all of their stuff up into the apartment. Granted, it takes a hell of a lot of concentrated effort. Hilda might be forever lost to them. Who knows.

Still, on the bright side, that means most of the rooms are filled with various boxes to various people, with the dining space definitely not fulfilling its intended purpose. At least the living space is, with every single one of them draped over a different piece of furniture or, in Dimitri's case, across the floor.

Honestly, they're lucky most of them even have furniture to drape over. To better move things and make room for all the boxes, most of it had to be moved out of the way. If it were just the four of them - Hilda, Lorenz, Marianne, and Claude himself - he's pretty sure that every single one of them would have just surrendered to the ground.

Fortunately, they have Dimitri, and Dimitri somehow had enough energy in his body to push some of the furniture back into position in this open concept hell. Or maybe it was less that Dimitri had energy, and that furniture just weighs nothing to a man with muscles like that. It's unclear. Claude is exhausted.

Yet no one is more exhausted than Hilda is, that's for sure. She's draped herself across the entirety of the couch, groaning her utmost misery straight into the cushions. "I'm never moving again!" she whines, even as her girlfriend indulgently rubs her back. Marianne, unsurprisingly, is in the exact opposite position in terms of exhaustion. At least that's working out well for Hilda... or the cause for all this in the first place. One or the other, or both. "Dimitri, you can't die, or stop having money. I can't do this again. I just can't!"

What Hilda can do is wobbly push herself up onto her elbows, all in order to reach out for the enormous pizza waiting for them on the coffee table. Well, waiting for most of them, anyway. Still, it's a pizza well deserved. If there is any kind of domestic suffering that permits a disregard for actual cooking, then the suffering and exhaustion which comes with moving definitely nears the top of the list.

Still, the reason it can only be for most of them is because of Dimitri's diet. Locked in place by his own morals, Dimitri has taken to laying sprawled out on the floor with a tuna salad sandwich in his hands. Recently freed from the ponytail it's been in this whole day, his hair lays all around him in clunky uneven waves. The sandwich is being eaten willingly, sure. Dimitri, like most human beings, likes food. Presumably he likes this kind of food particularly, since he made it for himself earlier.

Yet none of those factors stop his gaze from following mournfully after Hilda's hand as she takes the slice up to her mouth for a delicious bite. The poor soul. Claude makes a note to save a couple of slices. They should last long enough in the fridge to make it to Dimitri's next cheat day.

"You should really come with me to the gym, Hilda," Dimitri says, once he's torn his attention away from that pizza slice and stifled his own cheese envy. "I really do believe you have the body for it, so at this point, it's really only a matter of building up your stamina."

"Of course, if you truly do not have the energy or time for such things, that's perfectly understandable," Lorenz adds, his usual attempt at sitting neatly ruined by the way he's slumped back in his chair. It doesn't help that it's hard to eat pizza elegantly, too, although that doesn't mean Lorenz hasn't tried countless times before. Unfortunately for him, most people don't think of "elegance" when they see a person eating a regular slice of pizza with a knife and fork. They just think you're a little bit of an oddball. "I believe we would have managed perfectly fine even if you were not here at all."

With his feet resting on Dimitri's thighs, Claude snorts. "I mean, sure, that would have been possible, if we place Dimitri's death from overexertion as a condition for things going 'fine', Lorenz. That would be the perfect new roommate gift. Of course, unless you meant you were the one volunteering for an early death." On the ground, Loog works his way around Claude's feet in the pursuit of divine tuna salad. All Dimitri does is patiently nudge that little cat face away with his hand, like he's done it a thousand times before. He probably has.

"I'm sorry, Hilda," Marianne says sheepishly, still gently massaging her girlfriend's back. "It's all because of me. I was the one that dropped that box..." Granted, in Marianne's defense, that box was one of Claude's boxes. You know. A box filled with an ungodly amount of books, that Marianne should never have been carrying in the first place. Even as one of the smaller boxes, it was still a menace to society and the rest of them in turn. They'd all been lucky that, when Marianne had dropped it, that it had just narrowly avoided landing on her foot.

So, all in the name of achieving a moving day where no one was terribly injured, it had been agreed that Marianne would be moved over to other tasks less likely to cause grievous injury. Any slack was to be picked up by Hilda. For example -

"Oh, don't worry about it, Marianne." Dropping all her grouching at the drop of a hat, Hilda smiles back at her. "You still were doing a lot of good work like unpacking a bunch of our stuff! Including a certain someone's wardrobe, since he has to have his prettiest clothing ready for tomorrow..."

With pizza crust sticking out of his mouth like a cigar, Claude holds up his hands defensively. "Hey, don't blame me! I can't help that the interview is set for tomorrow. That's the time Cali was good for, and, well, it's always best to strike while the iron is hot..."

"The iron certain seems to be hot constantly nowadays," Dimitri sighs, holding his sandwich out of reach from Loog. "The town hall meeting yesterday, moving everything from your old apartment today, and then a live interview on the news tomorrow... I shall be quite glad if what remains of our week is peaceful, and that the week after this becomes quiet. Well, as quiet as one can imagine..."

Hilda snaps her fingers. "Oh, that reminds me - Marianne, can you go get my phone? I should make sure that the news is spreading for that on social media..."

While Marianna goes to get their phones from the kitchen counter, Lorenz forces himself to straighten up in his seat in order to peer around the coffee table and meet Dimitri's eye. "Speaking of one of those metaphorical irons... How is Felix doing? I know there was some kerfuffle during the meeting, but I never managed to hear more the full story, considering all the activity and things we've had to do. You said he would be fine, but it's hard to be sure with Felix of all people..."

"I have the answer to that!" Hilda announces proudly, jolting upwards only to immediately be awash in regret as her sore muscles remind her of their existence. Claude would feel bad for her, but Marianne immediately begins to fuss over her, letting Hilda's head rest against her chest, so it feels like it would be just a bit of misdirected sympathy. While Marianne strokes her hair, Hilda accepts her phone back and begins flicking through it. "Sylvain sent me a video last night before I turned in, and it's great. Did you know that Felix's dad showed up?"

Dimitri finally pushes himself upright, chasing Loog off of what should have been a nice fleshy mattress for a cat (read: Dimitri's abs). "Wait, he filmed that? That's what he was doing?"

"Yup. Here - " Against all odds, the rest of them somehow find the energy to cluster around the couch where Hilda is, although Dimitri stays firmly on the floor. At least Hilda is obliging, making sure to situate her phone perfectly so that everyone has a good enough view of the video she starts up.

Almost immediately, Claude recognizes where exactly the video is taking place at. It's one of the subway tunnels spread all throughout town. Some people might have an issue with that description just from how vague it is, and how quickly the camera moves.

Fortunately, the speed of the camera doesn't matter when it comes to Claude. Whenever he's down in the subway himself, he's practically always running around. At this point, Claude suspects he recognizes most underground storefronts and various direction signs as blurs more than in stationary clarity.

The jerky speed of the camera stops soon enough as its handler does his absolute best to be subtle, landing on a small group of four people. Two of them are immediately recognizable, on account of how one of them is on the floor of the apartment right now watching, and the other is his best friend who regularly attends protests ever since he was first introduced.

Claude could recognize them from their backs alone: the straight and proper way Dimitri tries to hold his spine when he's around people in public, the trademark messy way Felix always keeps his hair pulled back. That's the benefit which comes with knowing people for a few years.

In contrast, the other two men are almost complete strangers, while simultaneously incredibly familiar. The Fraldarius genes must be ridiculously distinct, because there's zero doubt looking at the two of them that they're related to Felix. Claude can see so much of him in the other two.

One of them is an older man, same sharp lines on his face that make his son look so severe and yet give him a more distinguished look in turn, while the blue tint of his hair is almost exactly the same. What's different is the soft way it forms waves around his face, offering a more obvious warmth. Honestly, all things said, he offers up a pretty good look at what Felix's appearance will be like when he's older. Granted, Claude can't ever imagine Felix growing the mustache that his father wears... but close enough.

If he's truly objective and honest, Claude would say that Felix's dad could Get It. However, he won't say it. Ever. Claude has a working will to live, and he'd rather that streak not get ruined by the world's worst sword gremlin tackling him into the concrete. Still, doesn't change fact.

The other guy is similar-but-different in, well, an entirely different way. On one hand, there's no denying that sharp facial structure which matches Felix and his dad, but his hair is much darker, and it's easy to see how the long braid tossed over his shoulder is barely restraining the natural waves to his hair. Yet even at the distance the camera is located at, it's clear that he shared the same kind of brilliant amber eyes that Felix has, in contrast to the cooler gaze of Felix's father. When it comes to age... If Claude had to guess, he'd pegged him as older than Felix, but definitely much younger than the father.

What has to be the most notable thing about him, however, is that he's in a wheelchair, with his elbows braced against his knees as he leans forward for whatever conversation is happening right now. Claude would say he's impressed, except that's not quite the right word he thinks should be used.

It's only be relatively recently that he's learned what a shitshow their public transportation system is towards people with disabilities, with "unfriendly" being a rather tame and yet still more charitable description in even the better parts of the city. The area they're all talking in is definitely one of the subways down near the town hall... Is that one friendly to wheelchairs?

He can look it up later; the camera has focused on the group just in time for Felix's dad to be caught in the middle of a sentence. "-credibly irresponsible, Felix. I've told you time and time again that you shouldn't pick fights against so many people like this. I almost couldn't believe it when Dimitri called me. This isn't how you were raised at all."

"Seriously, Felix." The third Fraldarius jerks his chin up towards Felix. "I can't believe you." But then there's that familiar sword-slash of a smirk, one Claude has seen on Felix's own face plenty of times. "How could you have gotten caught? This is why you slug them and run, or at least get a group of friends, if they're not going to play fair to start with."

Ah, yes. Truly a Fraldarius. If the physical parts weren't enough of a clue, then the personality definitely gives the game away.

Right near the camera's mic, Sylvain can be heard almost immediately trying to cut off his wheeze of a laugh. While the elder Fraldarius delicately presses his fingertips along his head as though that will fend off the impending migraine, Felix just leans over the other man. "There were still cameras around, Glenn, so it's not as if running would have done me any good." Despite his words, however, the camera manages to catch just the right angle to show his own vicious little grin.

"Then wear a mask," Glenn retorts, eyes shining. "It can't be that hard to find a cheap one-" That's around the time that a certain older hand presses down onto Glenn's head, grinding down with a certain fervor that ruffles up his hair. Choking on his own words from the surprise attack, Glenn flails one hand back to get Mr. Fraldarius' hand off of him. "Alright, alright, I get it, old man! I'll knock it off, damn."

Mr. Fraldarius looks as though he is reconsidering his past self's decision to sire children, especially two of them. It's an expression that is at war with what is undeniably some faint traces of amusement in his eyes. "The point is," he says, trying to continue on seriously, "is that this could have seriously hurt you, and I worry, Felix. We're fortunate that it was only the town hall security that got involved. Something worse could have happened, and, at the very least, I imagine you would have to post bail."

Having politely stood to the side while all of this is being exchanged, the Dimitri in the video finally speaks up. "I understand your concern perfectly, Rodrigue." Well, that's certainly an interesting little relationship quirk, Claude notes. He can't think of a lot of other people who would refer to their childhood best friend's dad by his first name.

Mr. Rodrigue Fraldarius sends an appreciative smile over to the blond duckling towering over his own two gremlin children. "Thank you, Dimitri," he says, only not in time, as Dimitri continues to speak.

"However, there's no need for you to worry about Felix becoming destitute from paying bail. I'll be certain to take care of it myself in the event that ever happens, as it's my responsibility that he became engaged in the band and the resulting activism. It's the least I could do!"

And he sounds so earnest when he says all of that, too, a complete Boy Scout, save that Claude knows he's also a little shit. It's enough that Hilda needs to cover her mouth with one hand, like that's hiding her huge grin. Unfortunately, it's hard to get a good look at Dimitri's no doubt radiant smile when the camera angle really isn't at the best for it.

There's another bitten back wheeze of laughter from Sylvain. Down there in the thick of it, Glenn slams his mouth over his hand as though that is anywhere close to what can block his delighted howling. Felix is absolutely silent in contrast to all of them. That's fine. Felix is the kind of person who doesn't need to snicker, or guffaw, or howl in laughter. All he needs to do is radiate smugness.

It's an incredible talent, if Claude is quite honest.

Rodrigue's expression freezes, smile stuck in place, before he sighs and seems to give up on the conversation as it is. "I do appreciate it, Dimitri," he says, resting his hand on Glenn's head again and ignoring the way his arm is smacked at. "I'm glad that you've always been able to take my son's more troublesome qualities in stride."

"I'm right here."

"Yes, and I just had to discuss the possibility of someone posting your bail. I believe I've earned some exasperation, as your father. Now, if the boot ever lands upon the other foot, I am more than willing to stand to the side without comment as you say things like that about me in front of my face."

Glenn's howling is now completely unrestrained. "You say as though it isn't bound to happen one day-"

Felix's outraged words can barely be heard underneath it. "How about you fight me, old man-"

"Glenn, I swear to the Goddess it's your fault that he learned such crass language."

"Hey! Don't blame me, he got that way all on his own-"

"Also, Sylvain Jose Gautier, I do see you over there, and I trust that this won't end up on Youtube-"

There's a harried whisper of "Oh, shit" right besides the camera's mic, and the video goes black.

The real life Dimitri that is their roommate gives an idle hum, casually ignoring the way Claude has had to stuff his own fist inbetween his teeth in order to hold back his cackling. "Oh, right. I recall Rodrigue calling out Sylvain on something. I hadn't really been paying attention at the time. Glenn and Felix had gotten all worked up, so I had been far more invested in the two of them."

Out of all of them, Lorenz is probably winning at the competition in holding back his smile. Even Marianne is giggling a little bit, although she's clearly trying to not feel too guilty about it. Compare that to Lorenz's delicately placed hand, hiding behind it a slight smile. "The Fraldarius family certainly seems to be one of... personality. Do they not like one another?"

To Claude's eyes, it had been pretty clear that every single Fraldarius had cared a damn lot for one another, even when displaying annoyance or exasperation, but he can understand why Lorenz feels the need to ask. After all, Felix isn't the only person with a family full of personality, although Lorenz's family is definitely a lot more overbearing. Figuring out how other people live is something he occasionally still needs to check in on.

Dimitri tilts his head to the side, half propped up against the couch as he is. "Oh, we went to have ice cream after this," he says, as though he's skipped over a couple different exchanges that were never had. "Rodrigue is very busy most of the time, and has never been one to simply settle into retirement, so it was nice to go do. Felix isn't normally one for sweet things, granted... but the place we went to had a variety of flavors that satisfied him as well. I believe he might have gone with mint chocolate chip. Glenn might have gotten something to do with peanut butter candies, I think? The shop allows people to mix more solid treats into their ice cream, so he did that. Sylvain got coffee ice cream, with almonds in it, and of course Rodrigue has a preference towards dark chocolate." A smile crosses over Dimitri's lips. "I got cheesecake flavor. It was a nice night, after everything that had happened."

That's... not exactly a direct answer, by any means. Still, Claude is pretty sure that if they cut things off here, the meaning is clear enough. This happens with Dimitri occasionally: an answer given that might seem as though it's connected by maybe a thread to the original question, if that much at all. It can even be downright mystifying. Still, that's disorganized thinking for you.

At least Claude can work it out today, and he nods, leaning against his boyfriend with his hip to Dimitri's shoulder. "So I guess if they can all go out for ice cream after an argument on whether or not a brawl should happen in town hall, it's a pretty tight family," he chuckles. Dimitri's agreeable nod is a reassurance that he nailed it. "Still, poor guy! What a pair of smart ass kids."

"I almost want to apologize to Fraldarius Senior about how we've dragged his youngest into all of this," Lorenz sighs. "If they have such a good relationship, I can only imagine how distressed he would be if something were to happen to his son if he were in the middle of-"

"Kicking a fascist inbetween the legs?" Hilda offers, saccharine sweet as she bats her eyelashes and tucks her phone away into her bra. This is now technically their home that they all live in together, so she could just put it down on the coffee table if she truly wanted to. On the other hand, the coffee table is currently being occupied by the biggest pizza that they could possibly order, plus another box beneath it, so the breast pocket is honestly pretty understandable. "I heard the guy really crumpled to the ground."

"Now, now, Hilda," Claude tuts. "You know the politically correct term isn't fascist." Both of them grin at each other, all teeth and spiteful hope, before Claude looks back to Lorenz. "Although, I'd be lying if I said I didn't understand the concern. But honestly, I think we should take it as a good sign that Dimitri and Felix have been coming to the events we've been involved in for ages now, and this is the first time Felix has felt the need to get involved like this." A faint huff of a laugh slips between his lips. "Honestly, it's kind of funny that it's taken this long, when that was the joke behind why he was invited in the first place. I guess we can take that as proof that our usual plans and methods go pretty well."

Reaching up to lightly squeeze Claude's knee, Dimitri smiles up at him. "They work so well that they got you an interview on the news."

Every time he's reminded of it, there's a flutter deep in the pit of Claude's stomach. He'd love it, honestly, if he could spin it as "adrenaline" or "excitement"... but he makes it a point to never lie to himself, not on purpose. There's no denying there are nerves in there, being set off at the prospect he's found himself with.

Yet whenever Dimitri touches him like this, just a light little press of his fingertips, or when he smiles so warmly, with that encouraging brilliant blue eye... It helps keep him grounded just a little more, and all Claude can do is smile back down at him.

Fortunately, whether they need it or not, Lorenz is right there to keep the conversation on track. Humming, he taps his knee a couple of times. "Well, regardless if things turned out alright, I'll still check in with him to see if there's anything he can tell me about the incident, and give the lawyer a notification as well just in case. It's better to be safe than sorry, when it comes to these events. Besides, it appears his brother Glenn has a similar temperament..."

Dimitri nods. "They're very alike in many ways," he confirms. "Glen used to be a little more... law-abiding? Focused?"

"He just told his little brother to hit and run someone with his fists, Dimitri," Hilda points out.

"Well, I did use past tense... Still, he's also always been very passionate, especially when it comes to doing the right thing and helping whenever he can. That part of him has never really changed, just like his demeanor. Honestly, no matter that he's wheelchair bound, he's still as intense as ever. In fact, I feel he's grown to be even moreso."

Another thoughtful hum filters out from Lorenz. "Honestly, seeing him has reminded me that protests tend to not be very accommodating for disabled people such as Glenn. It's one of its failings. There are so many individuals, all crowded together, and not often taking into consideration those that are right near them. It must be hard for him, in situations such as those, to have his own voice be heard... Perhaps he might even run into issues such as being knocked about by the inconsiderate. We truly aren't prepared for such things. Honestly, in all the research I've done for the band and our activities, I don't think this sort of thing has often come up. I really should reach out to-"

Hauling a cushion out of place, Hilda rears her arms back as far as they can go so that there's nothing less than pure force as she flings it right towards Lorenz's face. "No!" she groans, flopping back against Marianne's chest so dramatically that she could win a film award as some ailing soldier in a war movie. It's always been one of Hilda's many talents. "We aren't doing this tonight, Lorenz! Claude!" 

"Hey, I didn't even do anything," he says, grinning as he sinks down off of the couch and down onto the floor where he can hide behind Dimitri's broad soldiers and sturdiness against such threats as pillows. "Don't blame me."

Hilda continues as if he never even spoke in the first place. "We've been moving things all day. It's been nonstop from morning onwards. I didn't even think we had been able to cram so much into such a tiny little apartment. All that work, for hours on end... and now you want to do more, Lorenz?" She puts on her most pitiful expression, eyebrows daintily scrunched together just so. In some cities, it's a look that's probably banned after a court of law found it too dangerous. The lip tremble is especially deadly. "I don't think any of us can even think properly for such a serious question... Please, Lorenz?"

Even with his hair now messed up after he's taken all day to carefully keep it in a ponytail, and with a large couch cushion he has to pry off of his face, somehow Lorenz still ends up looking the flustered one in this scenario. "I- no, you're quite right, Hilda. It was rather inconsiderate of me to try and push such a conversation when not a single one of us has had a chance to recuperate from such a busy day. I'll simply keep it in mind, for our next meeting. In the meanwhile, ah... Why don't we put on a movie instead? That sounds agreeable, doesn't it?"

As a matter of fact, it sounds very agreeable, so much so that not a single person finds reason to argue against it. The only thing really to talk about is what kind of movie to watch, and eventually they dig up one of the softer anime films that Marianne has collected over the years after she found that the animation was a bit more palatable compared to the stylistic choices for a lot of live action films that were popular for a while. She's managed quite a few of them by now, things that should be soothing enough for all of them. And, well, if that ever stops being enough, there's always Dimitri's impressive MST3K collection. They don't need brain power to laugh at jokes or bad movies.

Which is good, honestly. Claude is pretty sure that not a single one of them has the energy to dig through the remaining boxes to figure out where their movies are.

While Dimitri dims the light and Marianne patiently pries Loog away from at long last investigating the pizza on the coffee table... Claude can't speak for everyone, but he has to admit to himself that he doesn't really pay attention to the movie once it starts up properly. He's too tired; Hilda was right. Even without having to unpack all of their things just yet, it's been a huge day. A huge change, one that they all knew was coming and yet still is kind of a surprise to see happen, to make happen with their own two hands putting all the boxes into place.

Also he thinks his muscles have turned to liquid, so that's definitely a factor in how he's feeling right now.

Really, they need to send some Thank You cards to their lucky stars that Team DAAM lives down the hall, and helped Dimitri and Marianne out earlier by reorganizing things in the apartment so that it would be easier to place all the boxes down and avoid tripping or hitting things that were already in the apartment.

That meant every room and bit of space had been cleared out best as could be asked for, whether for the boxes or the things that wait to fill them which are waiting inside those boxes. There hadn't been a need, earlier in the day, to figure out how the hell they were going to move exercise equipment out into the dining space. It's already been moved, and has now been hidden behind a veritable wall of cardboard.

So while the movie starts up on the screen, music filtering out through the speakers... Claude closes his eyes, not thinking too hard about the scene playing out before him. He doesn't think too hard about all the unpacking that still lays before them, which he'll only partially be able to help out with tomorrow. All he does is let his head rest against Dimitri's chest, and eventually drift off.





"So, how are we feeling?" he asks Marianne and Dimitri. Nearby, Felix is handing out signs to various people who weren't able to make or bring their own for whatever reason.

There's a lot of them, but when you compare the numbers of how many people came in the first place? Statistically, it adds up. Not only is their whole group here, but their band and the events in general have become even larger than they were in the first place. Obviously that means all their behind-the-scenes work, the organization that keeps any group afloat, has also increased... But that's why it's not only Hilda, Lorenz, and himself.

Besides, Hilda would start a one-woman riot if she had to do even more work than she had already been doing before, and Claude wouldn't even blame her for it. While she's always played off her contributions as nothing more than what a 'regular girl' would ever do, not taking any more responsibility than a 'regular girl' would, she's been an invaluable part of the band ever since Claude first took charge of it.

He can't imagine a group like this without Hilda behind it, and anywhere but at his side. Exhausting her would definitely contribute to changing that image, however, and in the worst ways possible.

Claude is more than just passingly familiar with overworking; that sort of thing could destroy Hilda's health if they asked for anymore than the vast amount she's already given and continues to give. With how big everything is now, that's true if any of them keep piling more work onto themselves simply because they're "leaders".

Responsible leaders, good leaders, know when to delegate and expand, so Claude has done exactly that. A ridiculous amount of luck has always been with him when it's come to his friends and their talents, honestly. He's been able to get a lot of attention to the band with advertising at the bookshop Marianne works at, and aiming Lysithea's determined spirit right at her college for recruitment. Ignatz even designed them band shirts, which worked out well for him just as much in that it diversified his art portfolio.

All of them, and the rest of his friends, and the band as a whole, are a treasure chest of resources all on their own. However, his social circle doesn't end only there. Far from it. After all, Dimitri is dating him now. Dimitri is even involved in the band, regularly attending practices, and going to events to play on a case-by-case basis. It's not even a thing he goes to for Claude, but something he seems to genuinely care about for himself.

And if Dimitri is interested or involved in something, that means his whole troop of friends is interested, too. Seven other people doesn't seem like a lot, at first... Yet a pebble doesn't seem like a lot either before it sends out a ripple effect when tossed into water.

He'd already knew about Felix's youtube channel since the start, of course. In fact, he'd kept track of it ever since he realized Felix kept the sign from his pro-choice protest, and had been delighted to learn that he kept it as a part of his backdrop when he did certain videos. Claude had been even more delighted when he had learned that it had kicked off a firestorm from some of his fans, and that Felix's retort had been to practice his honest-to-god blacksmithing on small knives for "every pathetic child's complaint" he received.

(He hadn't known there was a historical re-enactment area so close to the city. He does now. He also now knows, but is less surprised by, that Felix knows many people who genuinely know how to blacksmith and has apparently been taking lessons.)

So, yeah, Felix was a known entity for all of this, but Annette? Cute, bubbly, optimistic Annette? Who apparently sings and does cover songs when she's not working at a radio station? Claude had stumbled onto that discovery while poking around on Felix's channel, and been pleasantly surprised that they were both more than willing to use their platforms on social media for good causes.

Yet they're the flashy ones. Unexpected, sure, but flashy nonetheless. Sometimes the groundwork is more mundane in its appearance, and no one exemplifies that better than Mercedes, the local church darling who is apparently involved in... just about every single event that goes on in every single church in the city, from what Claude understands.

At least, that's certainly what it seems like. He has no idea how she does it, or who she talks to, but soon enough they have people from churches showing up at protests, or even a couple at the band practices themselves. Claude suspects Mercedes might be using witchcraft.

Dedue doesn't look like he has as large a sphere of influence, which makes sense considering his character, so one can imagine Claude's surprised when he'd somehow connected the band to a few more activist groups in the city. Not only do people know Dedue, but apparently it's quite a lot of them.

There's apparently a story behind it all, how Dedue really helped some folks out... but the details are ultimately inconsequential as much as Claude desperately wants to know them. That's another group adding numbers to their cause, which is incredibly important. For so many of the things Claude tries to bring awareness to, unity is more valuable than anything as their voices grow louder, and the hands that help pull other people up grow to be more and more.

Sylvain, and Ashe, they're both inclined to help behind the scenes alongside Claude. That doesn't sound like much, at first. Certainly it doesn't sound like much when one is too focused on all the noise and shine of the band at actual work at protests as they blare out songs and calls.

Yet it takes a lot of paperwork, a lot of organization and social media handling and research, to get all the glitter and noise out into the streets in the first place. But Ashe is more than happy to help with anything he can, and Sylvain's social media expertise isn't something to be underestimated. Hilda, at least, certainly seems glad for the help.

Everything added together... It's created a bigger community, online and in real life, than Claude had dared to dream only something over five years ago. At the same time... Perhaps this is only to be expected that everything they stand for has reached out to so many voices. That those voices have risen up, and called for more. Sometimes, when Claude lets his thoughts drift off and he thinks about it too much, he feels his heart nearly ready to burst.

In the now, this present where their march is about to happen and the subsequent attendance of a town hall meeting is in their immediate future, Claude doesn't let his thoughts drift. Instead, he focuses on some of the unexpected bonuses that are gifted to him when he properly delegates, especially to trustworthy friends. Currently, that's having some spare time right before the march itself, where he can do things beyond just preparation.

Oh, sure, he's not going to go get lunch or anything right before a big event. That'd be ridiculous. Also, Lorenz would have a heart attack if he went and wandered off at a time like this. No, all he wants to do is check in on the more anxious members of their group, and make sure they're doing all right.

This isn't the first time that Marianne has participated in one of their marches, and it's not even the first time that she's performed in one. However, out of most of their friends, she's definitely taken part a lot less. Part of it is just simple bad luck, with her work demanding attention. The other part of it is of course her own personality, anxiety and self doubt holding her back. Even when she's performed, there's always been that thin veil of anxiety draped over her...

Yet today, she seems to be at her best, and she smiles over to him at his question. "There... are certainly a lot of people," Marianne concedes, glancing over the crowd. "I will do my best not to let any of them down." That's a good sentence to hear, coming from Marianne. Claude smiles at her, encouragingly, before his eyes go next to Dimitri.

He doesn't even get a chance to say anything before Dimitri is smiling down at him. "I believe today is going to be a good day on my end," he says. "Dedue managed to make it here as well, and we'll be playing together."

Granted, Dedue's presence isn't exactly a guarantee that Dimitri won't have a mild episode. That's not how it works. But Dedue is definitely one of Dimitri's most grounded friends, alongside Felix and Ashe. They're the people amongst his friends who will be able to look out for him if anything happens, and fill him in on any details he might not have noticed or remembered as he experienced them.

That's the important thing, after all. Low empathy isn't exactly a bad thing. Claude knows this now thanks to a lot of indepth conversations he's had with Dimitri over the years, both on a wider scale in regards to societal change, and also the smaller and more personal things like his schizophrenia.

One of the things that's come up the most in both conversations is the conflation of "empathy" and "morality" as similar or even the same thing. Dimitri is still himself even when he's experiencing bouts of low empathy. He can still be a good person, and mostly is, for as long as Claude has known him.

However, there's no denying that he sometimes forgets things right when he's experiencing certain symptoms, and he might not notice how differently he's acting even when he does remember... or at least how it comes off to other people. Even if he's fine with is diagnosis now - or at least mostly fine with a lot of things to do with it, handling it as best as a man possibly can - Claude knows Dimitri still wants to understand it. He still wants to have a better idea of what sets off certain symptoms, if anything "sets them off" at all, and he still wants to know things he's forgotten, or how he comes off as to other people.

That's all understandable, really. Claude isn't in the same position, but he can understand that desire regardless. Knowing about ones self is reassuring.

They can check up on how Dimitri is feeling after the town hall meeting. In the meantime, Claude lightly pats Marianne's arm while Dimitri gets a much more robust smack to his shoulder. "Excellent. We're starting up in ten, so let me know if you two need anything, or if you spot anyone who does."

Everyone knows at least part of the point when it comes to their band is morale purposes, but there's a lot of stuff to keep an eye on when it comes to a protest or a march. While the main purpose of any event like this is to draw attention to a cause, or an incident, that's all for the ultimate greater good of helping people. That means Claude has always tried to make it a priority to watch after individual people during things like this. A lot can go wrong, whether someone's medical condition starts to act up, or they get dehydrated, someone trips and hurts themselves....

Fortunately, they have four very talented people in their ranks who are excellent at spotting those kind of little accidents, and that's a fact that Claude will always be glad about.

Raphael and Mercedes are obvious choices, the latter more than the former for those who don't know him very well. Mercedes seems to somehow just have some sort of Mom Radar installed directly to her very soul. Even if a person isn't obviously in distress, she always and mysteriously knows where to find them. In comparison, while Raphael doesn't quite have that same kind of intuition, he has so much height that it makes up for it in a lot of ways, and he's better prepared on the physical end of things like having water or painkillers on hand.

Marianne and Dimitri, however... All their knowledge in this sort of thing comes from personal experience. They know what to look for because, in a lot of cases, they've experienced it firsthand. Both of them have even talked about it with their therapists. Something about situations like this seems to really help push Marianne into gear, some adrenaline, some desire to help, all of it shoving her anxiety into the backseat.

Dimitri, in the meanwhile, is just determined to help where he can. If he's having a bout or not doesn't really affect him too much when it comes to the really important things, or so he's told Claude. Maybe someone will think him a little bit odd for a half second, but is anyone going to care about a guy with a slightly odd turn of phrase if they need a bottle of water or to get out of the crowd?

What's more important to him is doing the right thing if he can. When Claude thinks about that, about how hard Dimitri works to recognize the signs of a person in distress and how to help them... He can't help but love him even more.

"We'll keep an eye out for anyone," Marianne promises, soft and hard in equal measures, for all the right reasons. She, too, wants to help ease away the hurt in the world in whatever way she can. For Marianne, no one should feel like she ever has. It's little wonder, honestly, that she's had people like Hilda and Ingrid fall for her.

A smile spreads across Dimitri's face. "So you can go back to being the conductor for all of this," he tells Claude. Ha. As if he's anything but a very loud figurehead, a representation of what everyone would do on their own, can do on their own, just focused, now. It's like being a statue, in that way. Just, he moves, and yells at people, and blasts a very loud and annoying instrument in the face of fascists. So he has more fun than a statue.

It's the thought that counts, however, and Claude does have to admit that leaders are important for every cause and organization. So he winks at the pair. "Message heard loud and clear. Let's get even louder soon, shall we?" He turns away from them with that, waving to nearby and newly made flutist Dedue at the same time.

And they do get louder, with gusto. A lot of protest regulars - not that Claude could give a number for who regularly comes to these things in the first place - have now come to look forward to the performances of his band. Even a lot of people who are participating for the very first time seem to have heard of them, which is always a pleasant surprise as much as it is confirmation that Hilda and Sylvain are doing great work. Regardless, it seems like everyone is excited... and in that regard, the band is doing exactly what it was always meant to.

This isn't a silly little thing, anymore. Maybe it never was going to stay that way, and never was, period. From where he's encouraging the many protesters and marchers around them, Claude swears he can almost literally see any exhaustion and wariness lift up from the crowd. Instead, they all throw their energy into one solid thing, an ideal given physical form that helps push them all to a brighter and more united future.

Also, every time the counter protesters try to talk over them, their brass section gets to delightedly scream-honk in retaliation, and honestly that's never going to stop being one of the top ten most beautiful things in the world.

Claude can't hate those counter protesters, honestly. He knows that some of them believe that they're the ones really helping the rest of the world out, and, if a noisy guy like him could just follow their orders, the world would be good. Unfortunately, they're wrong, and they've aligned themselves with people who think far worse things... so he can't feel too bad, either.

He takes a certain pleasure in knowing that they won't be able to think much with a pair of twin sousaphones blaring through their ears and rattling their brains in their skulls. Sometimes it's the little things that get him through the day.

Eventually, their march takes them to their destination. Getting into the town hall is a bit of a clusterfuck, admittedly, with how many people there are, but the band planned for that as well. Ignatz is already there with Raphael's van by the time they arrive, and they all hastily leave their instruments behind with him and a couple of others to be properly placed away.

Things become a bit of a blur, after that, as the room is packed and some of the band members are scattered across the room. All of them plan to speak up at some point... but so do no doubt more than a few people in the room.

And a few people in a packed room means that's a lot of people.

Oh, their poor locally elected city council. He doubts a single one of them, including their mayor, was ever prepared for this many people, or this many cameras on them - tiny phone ones and much larger news crews alike. Even at a distance, Claude can sense a bit of unease and wariness. Well, if he were in their shoes, he'd feel very much the same way... but thanks to what he feels like are much better choices, he doesn't have to worry about that.

Instead, he worries about his side of things, texting to his friends scattered about to try and make sure that no one is too... 'aggressive' isn't the right word, but it's the one he knows onlookers would probably use. Passion is more than fine, however, and fortunately it looks like the vast majority of people gathered at this meeting understand that. Likely, there are people who will still say that they weren't "polite" enough, because there always are. For now, however, keeping things from escalating is the best he can ask for. At least, for right now. He doesn't think they need to go farther than this, not yet.

He hopes they don't have to go any farther than this. They will likely just have to go longer. Politicians sometimes have the object permanence that even babies look down on. It's that, or they assume their constituents do. The trick is to remind them of how things are supposed to work if they don't want a city burned down to the ground, and to make sure that enough people stay out to continue the yelling. It sounds easy. It isn't.

Yet in the thick of things, it all pours out like a river: smooth not because the journey is smooth, but because there is too much force to stop it. Claude is glad that so much of it is being recorded: by the cameras in the room, by some of their friends that have phones or their own cameras out, by a news crew that has stopped by for all the fuss. There might be a couple, actually, but he's not paying attention, and his not paying attention is what makes him so relieved that things are being recorded. Especially by those he knows, who he can trust a bit more than government or media sometimes, honestly.

Everything goes by in a rush, and a lot of it is good, he knows that much. He can remember cheers and calling and lots of requests for order by the city council. The meeting takes forever for every voice to be heard, for every decision or decision to make a decision late to be made. By the time everything comes to an end, Claude feels lit up as a star. Maybe in another life, he could have been a musician, a celebrity - sometimes his reactions towards public events like this, the way he pulls people together, makes him think that could have been an option once upon a time.

Yet when he really thinks on it, he knows that he wouldn't care for that kind of life. Not on a true and deep level. Getting attention, thriving off of it, knowing people are following his voice - great, sure, yeah, but it's all just a means to an end. The more people who become aware of them become aware of the causes they're championing. The more there's a chance for things to change for the better. That's the important thing.

...Additionally, he reflects as he takes a second to just recline back in the seat he managed to snag, he might still be on a performance high. Once that wears off... Oh boy.

As the head of his band, he figures it's still in his duty to make sure everyone is doing all right, and he tries to look over the crowd to do just that as he begins to make his way out of the room. There will be a lot for them to do in the aftermath, as they make sure the finale to this day ends well.

He wouldn't dare name names, of course, but there are some people who think they can take advantage of that period of relaxation when people finish a protest or march like this and cause trouble... That such a thing could make them look worse never seems to factor. They always think they can get away with it. It's frustrating to Claude that this isn't entirely untrue.

However, that's a duty he'll have to entrust to his friends and some of his fellow activists, it appears. The moment he steps out of the room, something catches his eye. It's the way the flow of the crowd has changed just a little in the distance, and he refocuses his attention.

A small group of women are making their way through the crowd towards him, which isn't unusual at events such as this one. What makes them stand out is how one of them, a young woman whose light brown hair has been pulled back into twin braids, is carting around a camera. A good camera. A very heavy, very professional looking video camera that looks like it's survived all sorts of things.

Claude recognizes what this means almost immediately, even as Hilda slips out of the crowd like magic to settle in at his side. First thing she does is lean in against him, whispering into his ear. "Isn't that a news crew?"

It absolutely is. Claude glances over the women with renewed interest, flicking through his mental library. A guy like him, he vicariously devours every little bit of news from any source he can get his hands on. He needs to know what's going on in the world, whether that's a little feelgood story tucked away in a newspaper or something happening in a country in a timezone with a five hour difference from his own.

Because of this, well, Claude would never say he knows every single person who works in journalism, especially when it comes to what's on television. He's still an outsider to the business himself. However, he still has a pretty thorough mental library despite this fact.

Thanks to that, he can recognize the woman leading the group - bespectacled, blond, dressed like the kind of reporter he'd read about in a story. Claude taps Hilda's spine. "Make sure that no one makes an ass of themselves while we're on live television, alright?" he asks.

"Ugh." Hilda exaggerates her puffed out cheeks. "You know this group, Claude. They're gonna ass if they're gonna ass." But then her expression loosens up, and Hilda winks at him. "Still, I'll see what I can do."

With that, she slips away, and Claude's attention is taken up by people who come up to him. This often happens during protests, or marches, that his band leads. So many people want to know about what his group does, who's invited, if he knows anything about any other protests that will happen soon, things like that. Every time, Claude is more than happy to answer their questions, even when his brain feels like mush.

Fortunately, his brain is still riding that adrenaline high, and that means he can keep an eye on their little news crew, although he makes sure to hide his action well with the way he talks to other people. Soon enough, they finally make it to him, and the woman in glasses waves her hand towards him energetically. "Hello! Excuse me! Cali, with Ampithea News! You would be Claude Riegan, wouldn't you? Folks here have mentioned your name. I'm hoping you would be up for a quick street interview!"

This is perfect - right on the day when he was thinking about the need and benefits of reaching a wide audience. Putting on his friendliest smile, he turns away from the person he was just talking with in order to wink at the news crew. "I wouldn't mind at all, as a matter of fact, although we might want to make it a little quick here. I'll feel a little guilty if I stayed too long while they're trying to move people out of the building. But I think we can slide under the wire."

He wouldn't feel guilty at all, actually. There's no real law against lingering for a while in the town hall to discuss the events of the meeting that just took place... but that doesn't mean there wouldn't be people trying to convince those who don't know better.

"Excellent!" Whirling around, Cali immediately begins to direct her small crew around. As she does so, Claude starts to get a handle on just who is named and does what. Bobo - poor girl, she must get so much shit for that name alone - is their camerawoman, excited to be here and right there on the scene. As her and Cali start talking about how they're going to set up the scene, a woman with dark purple hair pulled back in a ponytail gets called Ace as she makes sure to start redirecting foot traffic around them for a clear shot. Nikki, pink haired and with a gentle smile, starts pushing back some of Cali's hair, and makes sure she's all ready for the camera.

All of that is fine, by Claude's book. He's more than content enough to wait by the side, after Ace makes sure to get him properly in place so that the camera catches onto the size and attendance of this particular meeting.

So it's kind of a pleasant surprise when Nikki turns away from the rest of her crew and approaches him with a small towel and a smile for him, too. "We saw that you were a part of the march that lead the way here," she tells him. "I thought you might be exhausted from all of that, along with the speech you gave to the city council. Do you want this, or a bottle of water? I made sure to pack extras."

What do you know, the local news station seems to be employing some halfway decent people. That's always good to see. Claude makes a note of this particular crew, just in case. You know. For the future.

"I'll take the water, if you've really got it," he says appreciatively, wishing he had his vuvuzela with him as a prop. It would help him stand out more in this interview. "Thanks for the consideration."

All she does is smile as she passes him a water bottle, one with the cap not messed with at all. Getting a quick swig so that his throat isn't a complete disaster, Claude waits until Cali is ready, and there's a countdown for the camera to go live.

It wasn't exactly a lie for him to mention that they might not have a lot of time in town hall, or at least not a lot of time for any indepth interview. That means only so much can be said in so little time. The good news is that Claude is a master of making a lot out of a little. By the time that the camera goes off and Bobo signals them with a thumbs up that they're all good to go, he's pretty sure he's charmed and pleased their intrepid reporter more than enough.

Hopefully the same can be said of anyone who watches this news segment... He's going to have to ask around, see if anyone can record that for later. Hilda and Sylvain could probably go wild with this on social media, so he'll definitely have to make sure he can get the clip somehow...

Before Cali and her crew can duck away through the crowd, she comes up to Claude with a glint in her eye and a card between her fingers. "You seem to have a really good idea of local politics and issues that are going on," she informs him. "Honestly, I'd love to pick at your brain a little more at a later date. We have to get going, and I have to talk to some people at the station about it, but, hopefully in a couple of days, could you make some time for an interview? On television, if you don't mind. I really want to strike at this issue while it's still fresh in people's minds!" Spoken like a true reporter.

In the back of Claude's head, he can't help but think of how inopportune this is in some ways. Tomorrow, he has to muster up the energy to wake up early and start moving dozens of heavy cardboard boxes to his and Lorenz and Hilda's new apartment, which is Dimitri and Marianne's current apartment. The day after that, he planned to go back to work at the Golden Deer, start his usual weekly shift.

Well. He supposes he's going to have to do a bit of begging to Leonie to take that last one.

"Sure," he says, smiling, presenting a calm face, all while his heart is going wild in his chest. It's a business card he accepts, and maybe some of that smiling isn't such a facade after all. "When should I call you to check up on this?"

His acceptance makes Cali grin all the wider, and she wildly shakes his free hand. "Give me a few hours, but after five should be fine! The news is always rushing and changing, so I don't think I should need any longer than that! Besides, your group is so interesting, I bet my studio will be ecstatic to have you there! I'll look forward to your call, Mr. Riegan!" Just like that, she's bounding away to join the rest of her crew.

On the outside, Claude manages to keep his cool as he waves them off with well wishes for their trip back to Ampithea News. On the inside... On the inside, his heart won't stop pounding.

This is their big chance. This could really and truly be their big chance. Sure, the band has always been known by city locals, and has what he likes to think is a decently sized social media following. There's a reason why they've been able to get the word out for events even for people who aren't technically in the band, why they can say that their fundraising efforts have at least been some degree of successful. But to be on the news? That's something bigger. Something official.

Shit. Following the flow of the crowd, Claude lets loose a shaky breath and does a few clenches and unclenches of one hand. He's never done this kind of thing before. The second he gets back to the apartment, he's going to have to dig out their laptop and do all the research he possibly can on... all of this. He's going to have to read on what to expect in a live interview, what kind of place Ampithea News is, what the workers have to say on the behind the scenes stuff-

A warm hand folds over his. It's like a gentle shock, the wake up that comes with a warm shower, and Claude blinks up at Dimitri who has somehow just appeared at his side like a ghost. Well, the more likely answer is that he was so caught up in his head that he completely missed Dimitri's very obvious and not subtle presence.

Claude starts to smile at him, even as Dimitri leans down to press a kiss to his temple. "It looks like it all went well," Dimitri says, nodding down to the card in Claude's hand.

Well, he nods to the card, but Claude knows he means this whole event as it is. For someone like Dimitri, it's almost vital that these sort of protests, these marches, go well if he's going to be participating in them. Claude knows a similar feeling. So he squeezes back, and is surprised to realize that his own hand is trembling a little bit from emotion and adrenaline.

Letting out a breath, Claude allows himself to lean against Dimitri. There are few things more solid in the world, he thinks - mainly actual mountains, Dedue, and Raphael. "Hey, are you losing faith in my charms now?" he jokes. "Still, I can't lie and say it isn't exciting... Where are Teach 1 and Teach 2? What do they think?"

Both Byleth Eisner and Byleth Eisner don't really care for fame and spotlight, Claude has come to find in the years he's known the two of them. At events like these, they end up more support than anything else, a supporting cast for the main character that is their band. When they feel their job is done with, well, then they're off in a heartbeat, satisfied with the work that's been done.

Honestly, if they weren't genuinely good people at their cores, Claude suspects the Eisners would have long run away to be secluded hermits. They've both talked, on occasion, about gardening, and fishing. Seeing those two at work for either of those things is an easy mental image to conjure up.

Dimitri gives a nod, confirming what Claude figured in that the Eisners would have found him after the whole thing as well. The twist comes when he opens his mouth in order to give a more detailed answer. "They were there to check on Felix when security was called."

...Okay. That's a thing that was said. Claude blinks, quickly rewinding his memories of the last few hours. He knows he was caught up in everything, listening to other people talk and then talking himself, but he would have noticed if anything huge had happened there in the town hall, right? Yeah, he would have. Everyone would have, Felix Fraldarius is not a subtle person.

His gaze flicks over Dimitri quickly, and he allows himself to relax. "So someone is having a fun day," he quips. If something serious had really happened, then he knows that Dimitri wouldn't be here with him right now. Dimitri wouldn't be so calm right now. Still, he won't automatically assume that things are fine only because of that when he has no other information to go on, so he asks, "I take it he's alright, but what happened?" It's good that Felix only has to deal with simple town hall security and nothing bigger than that...

Dimitri tells him the story, and it's relatively simple, honestly. So, during the whole passionate and very crowded meeting, someone had started to get a panic attack. Raphael had spotted it pretty easily, because there hadn't been any seats that could fit a guy built to withstand siege weapons and so he'd been standing. So he'd gone to go help. Felix, somehow now one of Raphael's bosom buddies in a way that honestly has caught all of them off guard, had seen him making his way over, and involved himself. Together, they'd helped the guy get out of the space, accompanied by some of his lady friends.

Once they'd all gotten out of the room and a good distance away to boot, Raphael had figured it'd be good if he could double back to his van where Ignatz was waiting. Get some stuff he thought might help. He'd left a lot behind, after all, since room in the town hall had been kind of limited. So Felix had been left behind with a guy in the throes of an anxiety attack and a few girls, trying to just keep the guy calm.

And then, of course, some assholes had thought to get involved.

Much like Raphael's caring, and Felix's tagging along, this part of the tale isn't particularly surprising either. It had been a small group of guys - possibly part of the counter protesters, possibly just some unaffiliated jerks who had wanted to yell over some girls or a guy like Claude.

Yet they'd found that impossible, both before with a vuvuzela making their eardrums bleed during the march, and then during the meeting itself, where Claude's cause clearly had more people behind it that made ruining things a little more difficult. Sometimes a lone voice can certainly pierce through the chorus of a hundred... but these guys, just a bunch of dickheads and troublemakers, clearly didn't meet the criteria needed for that kind of effect.

So they'd taken the cowardly option when they spotted a gaggle of girls trying to help a guy clearly not in a great way. Felix's presence had probably been an afterthought - shorter than them, wearing a ponytail, dismissable. So they'd made the questionable and dickish decision to throw some slurs at the group, followed by actual garbage when one of the girls had snapped at them. Maybe they would have left it at that, their bigoted and childish venting done with.

Unfortunately for them, one Felix Hugo Fraldarius was there, and had retaliated quicker than a rabid raccoon tripped over on a dark night. The group of wasted potential had been made up of four guys, from what Dimitri understands. Felix had downed every single one of them, which Claude is sure will be a bruise to their ego later on, in addition to all the actual bruises.

Double unfortunately was that a couple of town hall security guys had turned the corner just in time to see the group of jackasses throw plastic bottles at some girls and a teenager in the middle of a panic attack.

There'd been no doubt as to who had started things, and, well... It's kind of hard to spin the appearance of picking on a kid and some girls into a good look. Sure, it's not an ideal world where age or perceived gender is enough to discount someone as anything serious... but one works with what they have, sometimes, in the world they do have instead of the one they wish for. Besides, luck isn't something to be tossed aside so easily.

That was the scene Dimitri had walked in on when he'd stepped out to get some air himself: his friend with a bloody nose, cheap rentacops yelling for them to break it up, and four guys on the floor including one clutching inbetween his legs as he'd been firmly introduced to the Felix Fraldarius fighting school of "Fuck Fairness".

A couple of their other friends had jumped in - fortunate considering this had been a decent distance away from the meeting so that the noise wouldn't aggravate the kid's attack worse, so the people who'd been helping had been those going to the bathroom or getting better cell reception. Dimitri had called the Eisners and a few others they knew. Others had gotten involved as well, whether to help get the kid to somewhere else so he could calm down, or watch the scenario with phones.... The usual.

By the time Dimitri finishes up the tale by mentioning how he'd made himself stay back just in case, Lorenz and Hilda have joined the pair of them out in the sunlight of the streets. Lorenz already has his face in his hands, trying to hold back his exasperation, and Hilda lets loose an impressed whistle. "For someone with a personality that's such a mix of terrible and decent, he really is one of the luckiest people around, huh?" she says.

"I thought I heard some sort of faint shouting outside," Lorenz mutters as they continue down the block, having met up with Claude and Dimitri around the explanation of how some people had started taking out their phones. "It really is always Felix. Well, I want the full story when we have a moment to catch our breaths, Dimitri. I need to know exactly what kind of trouble he got up to."

"Felix often tends to be fine," Dimitri says reassuringly. "Of course, he does have a temper, with a tendency to hold grudges, and hardly ever sees reason why he should hold his tongue when he sees negative traits in another person..."

"Weren't you supposed to be reassuring us?" Hilda groans, even as a slight grin tugs at Dimitri's mouth.

"But he knows how to be patient and get through difficult situations as well," he finishes. "Sylvain and Rodrigue were there as well, along with the Eisners, so I'm certain it will all turn out fine."

Faintly, Claude thinks he's heard that latter name before when Dimitri has talked about his hometown, but he doesn't really have a chance to think too deeply on it. Dimitri, despite his words, is looking over the three of them with barely hidden anxiety, like he's looking for permission. It's obvious why.

"Hey, he's your best friend," Claude tells him with a reassuring smile. "Just remember we are moving into your place tomorrow, so don't do something like stage a prison break, alright? Save that for next month." He winks to the sound of Dimitri chuckling.

"And do let us know if anything more serious occurs," Lorenz tells him, with that faint scolding tone to his voice where he gets fussy. "The band exists with the resources that it does for a reason."

"It's only building security, so I'm hopeful that we won't have to resort to those measures just yet," Dimitri reassures Lorenz before looking to Claude again. "At any rate, Felix would beat us to the punch..." As their group pauses at a crosswalk, Dimitri leans down to press a kiss along Claude's cheek. "Then, if you all will be fine, I'm going to go meet up with Ingrid. She was worried about Felix as well when I texted her. Since we're not legally family, just friends, we might run into a little bit of trouble there if anyone really asks about why we should be allowed to shove our noses into it all... But Sylvain is there, so he should be able to sweet talk us through any obstacles."

"What a team," Hilda says, laughing.

Dimitri grins at her, and then allows Claude to draw him down into a proper kiss. "Get home safely, won't you?" he tells him softly. "I promise I'll return as soon as I can." And with that, Dimitri turns away from them, heading right back the way they all came from instead of towards the parking garage where his car is parked. Well, it's not as if Claude doesn't have the keys to it anyway. He even already has a spare key to what will, in only a few hours time, be their apartment.

He'll be fine, Claude reminds himself as the two of them duck into the shadows and concrete of the garage. That's something he has to remind himself of, even as he can see Lorenz worrying at his chin as he no doubt wonders the same things that are running through Claude's own brain.

Well, not the exact same things, granted. Claude is thinking about how he has to look up interview experiences, Ampithea News, if he even has good enough clothes for appearing on television... But in some areas, such as worrying about Dimitri and if Felix will be alright, they're probably united. Should he call in a while to check on them, or should he put his trust into Ingrid and Sylvain to keep their two favorite idiots safe...?

Like dandelion fluff, Hilda blows it all away when she leans in close to Claude with a wide grin. "My favorite part about that is that he said they weren't his legal family," she says. "Which means they aren't legally Dimitri's family either. You know what that means, right?" She winks. "Felix Fraldarius might walk Dimitri down the aisle when you eventually get married."

Claude can't help it. He bursts out laughing, cheeks red, and the sound bounces off concrete walls from all its eager hopes.





When he stirs into wakefulness once more, it's to the sight of a ceiling above him that is definitely much closer than the one in the living and dining area. Claude blearily takes in the situation, and how Dimitri is gently tucking blankets around him. Ah, he's in their bed - upgraded from the small thing that used to be for Dimitri alone. "Mitya?" he mumbles, nickname slurred on his sleepy tongue.

"I'm here, Claude," Dimitri murmurs softly, stroking his face gently with his fingertips. "You fell asleep, during the movie. So did Lorenz and Hilda."

That makes Claude smile, no matter how overcome with sleep fog his brain is. "Mm.... Musta been a sight. Marianne doting on Hilda... Lorenz-" He yawns. "Lorenz trying to stay elegant and fight it even while drooping off his chair... I really missed out."

Dimitri's soft laugh rolls through his ears and down into his heart. "We all live together, so I think you'll have another chance in the very near future. In fact, considering how familiarly you describe the situation, and how you were living with Lorenz and Hilda before all of this... I think you've seen it plenty of times prior. Now, you should go to sleep, Claude."

"Mmm, nope, too late. I'm awake," Claude says as he pushes himself up with his blanket crumpling down around his waist. It's a statement that would have a lot more weight to it, if he didn't yawn again right afterwards. Not inclined to let that stop him, he rubs at his eyes. "Besides, don't think I missed how you said I should go to sleep instead of we, just because I nodded off for a little while there. Staying up a bit longer?"

Caught red handed, Dimitri smiles sheepishly. "There was some work that I wanted to get done on the computer before I turned in. It's nothing huge, of course. I took my nightly medications during dinner, so I'm going to fall asleep sooner than later... but it's just some work that should make it easier to send off in the morning."

Claude stretches his arms out, first for the ache, eventually to curl his fingers into Dimitri's shirt. "Then I'll come with," he says, grinning to his boyfriend. "I want a glass of water, anyway. I think it might help me go back to sleep."

If he's honest, Claude sort of doubts that a simple glass of water will truly help. Now that he's woken up again, there's a restless hum of energy thrumming through his veins. Good ol' hydration probably won't fix that. But a short walk into the kitchen, plus an equally short talk with Dimitri? Maybe that will have better luck.

If it doesn't, well, it's him. He'll figure out a Plan B.

Dimitri looks over his face carefully, that single beautiful eye seeing who knows what, before he nods. "Alright. We should be quiet, however. Everyone else just went to sleep for the night, and the current state of the apartment might not be giving them the best sleep as it is."

Letting himself be pulled up by Dimitri's offered hand, Claude uses his other hand to pat Dimitri's chest. "You act as if you've forced them all to sleep on the floor," he chuckles. "They have bed frames and mattresses to go on those bed frames. Everyone is going to be fine, even if they're surrounded by cardboard."

But Dimitri is the kind of guy to get worried about things like this. Every one of them had made the decision to give away their old bed frames, after all. It had been sensible in a lot of their cases, honestly. In a variety of different ways, their previous bed frames had been old, and seen the wear and tear of many years with their bullshit.

Hilda's, for example, had been a hand me down from her brother, and had finally started to go towards the light after two whole lifetimes of wear. Getting smacked into walls and door frames when they had first moved in probably didn't help.

For Lorenz, well, the reason why he had moved out of his old place to start with had been because of a spat with his father when Lorenz had finally started to realize his life was supposed to be his own, along with his morals, his feelings, his romances... So during that whole mess, he'd had to be forced into thriftiness, and had bought one of the cheaper bed frames that he could find. It's held up remarkably well since then, thanks to careful care, but there's been no need for it anymore. Especially since it might not last for much longer, after years of dealing with constant weight on it from either Lorenz or the things he's put on it.

And Claude? Well, his bed frame was already something he'd had for years before he ever moved. Even if he hadn't been set on sharing a bed with Dimitri, that thing had lived its time well enough already. As Dimitri wraps his arm around him, the two of them heading out of what is their bedroom, he can't help but be glad for that.

Regardless, that has meant putting together all sorts of furniture today. The shelves and such are all one thing, but bed frames are a special kind of pain in the ass, even for Ikea Whisperer Dimitri Blaiddyd. It's taken some work, and effort, to get all their furniture set up, which has meant less time for the unpacking, which has meant the Cardboard End of Times...

Claude rests his head along Dimitri's shoulder as they come out into the living room, where there are still plenty of boxes out waiting for them. Even with the basic necessities put together in everyone's own rooms, a lot of change is going to come about in the apartment. When it was only Dimitri and Marianne, that was one thing. It's a big apartment. They're two people. It hadn't taken much.

Yet now the total number of people living in the apartment is five, and that makes an equally big difference to how things are going to work. They still have a lot of shelves that they need to put up for their books - okay. They have bookshelves they need to put together for Claude's books, far too many to all fit inside of Dimitri's room. Kind of why he paid for them.

In turn, it was Hilda's money that went into a couple of other shelving units, all marked with cute glitter stickers, that will host the additional movies and CDs that they've brought with them. Plus, there's the question of where Lorenz's small battalion of plants is going to go, and if they'll even fair well with Loog in the house...

That's not even talking about how Dimitri is going to have to reorganize some of his things, like if his exercise equipment can stay out in the dining room, or if he'll have to merge his office and his exercise into the same space.

So yeah. There's a lot of things to address, and a lot of decisions they still have to make now that they're going to get a better and more immediate idea of how exactly their stuff will fit together instead of just guessing.

It's something Claude considers as he drifts off into the kitchen to start ferreting through the cupboards for a spare glass. Not that far away in the living space, Dimitri patiently clears some space off of the coffee table so that he can set up his laptop.

"Hopefully everything will look far less cluttered when we've finished unpacking," Claude murmurs quietly when he finally joins Dimitri on the couch, glass of water in hand. "We're going to be in trouble otherwise. Although I guess Lewie is quite happy about all of this. He was pretty excited to climb all over the boxes earlier."

While his laptop warms up, Dimitri smiles a little. "He definitely was... But this is his first experience with anyone moving into the apartment. Marianne had already unpacked her things and gotten her room all set up before we decided to adopt him."

"Heh." Claude grins, thinking back to those days when Dimitri and Marianne had first made that decision. It'd been fun, and cute. Him and Ingrid had even had a chance to get along a little better, all because of the journey to Get A Cat. "Well, hopefully he enjoys the experience, and doesn't get too worked up over it. Cats can be sensitive to change." Taking a sip of water, Claude allows his gaze to roam the apartment while Dimitri gets his program set up. "That reminds me... Where is our little troublemaker?"

"Oh, I thought he was sitting right besides me on the couch."

Shit- water goes right up Claude's nose, forcing him to bend over hastily as his hand rushes up to his face. There's no completely stopping the spray, but it at least kind of lessens what could be a humongous mess. Now it's just a bit of one.

Once he's stopped sputtering and wheezing - equal parts water and equal parts laughter - Claude punches Dimitri's side. "Oh, I see how it is," he says, only lowering his voice when Dimitri raises a single finger to his stupid, charming, beautiful wide grin. "You really know how to be clever, don't you? I've been dating a real crouching tiger this whole time."

"I wouldn't call myself that," Dimitri says, ducking his head like that will hide his grin at all. Unfortunately for him, it's not that easy to get away from Claude, especially when he can just reach over to mop up his soaking wet chin and cheeks with Dimitri's shirt. There's an immediate despairing sort of noise. "Oh- Claude! That's so distasteful."

Shoulders shaking with laughter now as well, Claude just raises a finger up to his own grin, and has to do his absolute best to not cackle when Dimitri screws up his mouth in a pout. "Oh, I don't want to hear that from you," Claude says, leaning in close to pinch at Dimitri's sides and grin up at him. "Maybe don't try to choke me with my own drink before you complain, huh?"

In return, he gets a fond but exasperated sigh, along with Dimitri's shirt as he begins to tug it up over his head in order to help clean up the water splattered against the coffee table and the floor. Yes, they do technically have kitchen towels that would take, like, a minute to get. No, neither of them do so, with Claude just raising his feet off of the ground and onto the couch as he watches Dimitri clean.

This really is how Dimitri has just... lived his adult life. Claude would love to judge a little, except he's fallen asleep on the floor with a book in his hand while drooling all over a rug, so he's pretty sure he's in a glass house sort of situation. Lorenz is going to hate them, but hey! They're cleaning up after themselves!

When Dimitri finally sits back onto the couch, dumping his mildly damp shirt besides him, Claude immediately leans against his side. "I suppose it was an instance of my planting my own crop and sowing it," Dimitri admits, wrapping one arm around Claude while he uses his free hand to mess around on his laptop. "Anyway. Loog is with Marianne and Hilda tonight. They did turn in first before the rest of us... And I think he likes the smell of Marianne's blankets more."

That's the conversation the two of them end up drifting into, as Dimitri clicks around on his laptop. They talk about Loog, the preferences he has now when it comes to different things between Marianne and Dimitri, how those preferences might change with the addition of three new people constantly living in his house, the ways he might adapt and the worries in how he might not. Little things like that.

Eventually, Claude falls silent and stays curled up against Dimitri's side with his feet on the couch and his knees against his chest. All he does is be with him while Dimitri works, the light of the laptop and a small table lamp the only lights on in the whole apartment.

It's... nice. Comforting. With the darkness of the apartment kept at bay with just a tiny little lamplight, Claude feels as if it's just him and Dimitri in the entire world as his boyfriend clicks carefully along the keys and the sounds of the city seem so very distant. Claude doesn't even realize he's starting to doze off until the keys stop, and Dimitri's sturdy arm begins to wind around him again from where it had left momentarily for better typing. Rousing himself, Claude shakes his head. "No, no. I'm fine. I'm awake. No need to worry, Mitya."

"Yes, well, you're not going to be for much longer it seems," Dimitri chides gently, smiling in that soft and tender way which never fails in making Claude want to bury himself into his boyfriend and never let go. "Come - I was starting to get drowsy as well."

"Oh," Claude says simply, feeling a pang of something sort of like disappointment in the very pit of him. He's pretty good at hiding his inner feelings, honestly. It's been something he's done for a lot of his life, for varying reasons, good and bad. One little syllable like that can't give him away.

Or, at least, it didn't used to, before he started really dating a guy in earnest, a guy he could let himself date in earnest, because it seems as though Dimitri has learned so much with the years they've spent together. That, or Claude is more exhausted than he thought, because Dimitri pauses with his fingers rubbing along Claude's shoulder. "...Are you feeling anxious, Claude?" he asks, in that quiet and painfully genuine tone he's always had since the very first time they went on a date.

If it weren't the middle of the night, Claude would give a loud laugh to dispel the very idea. As it is, all he can do is chuckle quietly and smile, which doesn't quite carry the same effect. "Hey, what does a guy like me have to be anxious about?"

"I would say there is quite a lot," Dimitri says bluntly. Honestly, sometimes it's like being friends with Raphael. They're both just so straightforward and oblivious that things go over their heads... and yet, at the same time, it occasionally lets them get right to the crux of the issue, no dallying. It's enough to make Claude wonder if he has a type. As frustrating as it can sometimes be.... It's endearing, too. Claude can't even say it isn't good, at times like these.

Sighing in surrender, even as he smiles, Claude sinks into Dimitri's embrace again. "Alright, you got me," he says, closing his eyes. This way, he can enjoy the slow travel of Dimitri's fingers trailing from his shoulder up to the nape of his neck. There's something... nice in how his fingers curl into the hair there. "It feels like if I try to go to sleep in our nice comfortable bed in our nice quiet room, I won't be able to go to sleep. There's so much to think about for tomorrow that I almost don't know where to start. It's going to keep me up. I know it is." Opening his eyes with a sigh, Claude reaches for his water again. "I thought a little walk and something to drink would help... but it's been your typing that's actually made a dent so far."

"So you simply needed some white noise..." Dimitri waits for him to finish his latest gulp of water before he gets up onto his feet, offering Claude his hand again. This time, Claude lets him, and accepts it. "I think everyone needs a little bit of something at times. Something to let us know we're safe - where we are, who we're with. Something that tells us we don't need to think."

"Something from our days when we'd just hunker out in the wilderness, huh?" Claude muses, keeping his glass while Dimitri shuts his laptop. Even when the lamp gets flicked off, there's still just enough light from outside, the city's preserving glow, to guide them through the apartment. "Too much noise, and it sets every sense on fire. No noise, and our brain is convinced something has to be wrong. Something like that, right?"

It's a good thing their room is the one on the bottom portion of the apartment; they don't have to shut up completely on the way back. That's the kind of thing which would have been impossible in Claude's old place. Back there... Ha. He'd have been lucky if he could have carried on a completely whispered conversation while escorting someone back to his bedroom. The more likely scenario would have been just not talking at all.

Then again... It's not as if he ever brought anyone back to his bedroom in his old apartment before anyway. Put that down as one of many things he's glad he can give to Dimitri.

Humming thoughtfully, Dimitri holds open the door to their room (their room, theirs) so that Claude can enter first before he ducks in after him. "It makes sense, doesn't it?" he says, guiding Claude over to their bed. Instead of trying to tuck Claude in their blankets, he crawls in alongside him, and pulls the covers up loosely to their shoulders. Easy to slip out of if they want to get up again, but just warm enough to be comfortable. Well, okay, so it's not exactly warm enough for Claude's tastes, but he just wiggles up against Dimitri to make up for that, both of them propped up by the headboard.

Once he's made sure Claude is comfortable, Dimitri keeps going. "I think it also helps, in your case, that it gives your mind something to focus on. You think so much... So I've noticed that when you don't have something in front of you to direct all that energy at, your mind begins to make up things to pick apart. In fact, I would even say that your mind makes up more than what you would focus on otherwise."

"Should I take that as a compliment?" Claude asks dryly, smiling around the rim of his cup. He takes one last sip before he leans over Dimitri, putting it on the bedside table next to - yeah, it's Dimitri's phone.

"Well, you are incredibly brilliant in part because your mind is so often turning over things." Dimitri smiles, using the blanket as an excuse to tug Claude closer. Claude hadn't even thought that was possible. That shows him. "Yet your mind is also a double edged sword. For example... If I had to guess, I would imagine one of the things weighing so heavily on you is that interview tomorrow, isn't it?"

Everyone is going to keep calling him out on that, he feels like... With Dimitri especially, it doesn't feel as though he'll be able to get away with it. Then again, he promised to Dimitri that he'd never lie to him. Then again, Claude knows it might be good for him.

So he lets out a breath and closes his eyes, listening to the steady and quiet sound of Dimitri's breathing. Maybe his boyfriend had a point in his theory about white noise. Such a simple rhythm helps ground him. "This could affect a lot. We both know that. Or maybe it's so inconsequential that it will affect nothing, but I don't want that either."

There's no need to explain what he means by that. Dimitri is already nodding, a hand rubbing at his jaw in thought. "You want it to have an impact, for the better... Whether that's drawing more attention to the band, or to the causes you constantly fight for. So you're worried that you might do the exact opposite, aren't you?"

"Jeez, Dimitri," Claude murmurs, turning his grin against his boyfriend's bare chest. "You read me too easily. That's a little unfair, don't you think?"

He can feel the kiss that's pressed into his hair. "As though you don't allow me to see the way your thoughts and feelings weave," Dimitri murmurs, nuzzling into his curls. Today really hasn't been one for styling. "Even with that, I've had more than enough time to be with you. I love you so much... Of course I'm going to pay attention to every bit of you, if you permit it. That's the benefit that comes with dating, isn't it...?"

It really has been a good few years since the two of them have started dating... And Dimitri is right. They really have had so much time to be together, to learn each other and love each other, in so many different ways.

For example, Claude has had plenty of time to learn about Dimitri's life before him, like his situation with his sister, or the long line of terrible therapists he had before life and Sylvain lead him to the Eisners. In turn, it's as Dimitri has said. He's had years of his own to get to know Claude. Years to learn things about Claude that he doesn't often show other people, whether consciously or not. It's a trust he's earned, a trust he deserves.

Yet knowing all of that, knowing that simple objective fact, doesn't stop the heat that rises up onto Claude's face. He always gets like this when Dimitri says he loves him. He's so earnest, and sweet, and... loving. Claude smiles like it's going out of style. How can he do anything else in the face of this love? "Introducing you to romance really was me unleashing a beast onto the world, wasn't it?" he asks. "Well, I don't mind, since I get to be beauty in this scenario."

Dimitri makes a small dismayed sound. "Oh- that's clever. I wish I had thought of it... It's such a good compliment, although I don't know if it quite counts when you're complimenting yourself..."

Turning his head, Claude presses a kiss against his jaw. "We can pretend you got it first," he says cheekily, winking. "Consider it me giving you a freebie."

"Well, if you insist... Then, I'll pretend I was very witty, and gave you a wonderful compliment." Dimitri turns his head to make the kiss a proper one. "...If you don't want to talk about it, then we don't have to, you know. I don't want to push you, but... I did notice you didn't answer the question."

"And you tried to dismiss the idea of you having any insight," Claude murmurs, before he lets out a slow sigh and sinks into Dimitri once more. "But no, I do. I do want to talk about it. I mean, at least, as far as I can tell." He chuckles, perhaps a little self depreciating.

It's not something that happens very often for him. Claude has had to fight for his self worth, his confidence, his sheer and immense talent. Why should he ever let something pull him down from that? But... Maybe, just once, he can step down and let Dimitri see all of that. With him, it doesn't feel like a potential mistake.

"It's difficult... I'm so excited for it. I really am. And of course everyone is looking to me to completely nail it, just as I always do."

Dimitri nods, understanding. "There's a certain rewarding feeling that comes with being a leader," he murmurs. "You get to help people, draw them up to their full potential, pull everything to a successful ending... but then you have to deal with being the one who takes responsibility for what happens, and deal with all the pressure that comes with so many eyes on you."

Yeah... Dimitri would get this. The position in his company, the one his family has apparently always passed down along the line, is apparently a pretty high one, and Dimitri isn't the kind of person who coasts along with minimum effort. He's put himself in up to his elbows, in the best way possible.

Claude is almost pretty sure all of this, from long before he ever met the guy, has probably been the subject of more than a few therapy sessions... but it's not his place just yet to poke his nose into all of it. There are some things that still take a little bit of time to get to. Claude is sure they have it.

Instead, he takes the understanding and comfort for what they are. "I mean, I wouldn't change it for anything in the world, obviously," he says, nodding against Dimitri's shoulder. "If I could make this a full time job, I absolutely would. And no-" He raises a finger to Dimitri's lips, grinning at the sight of him closing his mouth before he's even had a chance to get a single word out. "As sweet as it is of you to offer, I don't want you to be my sugar daddy while I pursue my musical activist dreams. I like having that bit of dependence."

"I just wanted to help," he offers weakly, in that tone of voice that says he's never going to get over being referred to as a sugar daddy at any point in his life. It's cute. Claude loves hearing it.

"I know you do." Claude smiles a little more before he pulls himself back on track. "Still, if I mess up somehow... I don't know when I'll next get a chance like this. It's taken so much time, so much energy, and so many protests before a reporter noticed us. That's not even mentioning the huge amount of luck. Cali from Ampithea News might think this is all something special, but what if it had been someone else down there covering the march and the town hall meeting? What if they thought of me and the rest of the band as only troublemakers? Or that the march didn't really have a reason to happen? If I lose this chance, the next time might have someone who just... genuinely doesn't care."

Dimitri patiently begins to rub along his shoulder again. "You'd get another chance."

"You say it so confidently," Claude muses, smiling a little. He doesn't want to say I don't need empty condolences, even if it's true. This is an expectation he needs to temper himself with, so that his hope doesn't get too out of control. If it's restrained, held back... Then a potential failure won't hurt as much. He can get back up onto his feet that much quicker, search out alternate routes if he hasn't found them
already. Instead of saying that, he just prompts, "So where's all that faith come from, huh?"

Dimitri just looks at him. "You," he says simply, matter of factly. When all Claude can do is blink for a second in surprise, Dimitri gently tugs the blanket up around them a little more and tucks it around Claude's shoulders. With that done, he reaches underneath it until he can finds Claude's hand. The smile on his face is... something. "Claude... I have dated you for three years, now. I hope to date you for many more years to come. Perhaps..." A faint blush rises onto his face, adding to that sweet earnestness in his eye. "Perhaps one day, I can go further in that direction, if you will allow me."

Something like a firecracker seems to go off in his chest, and Claude feels breathless at what Dimitri is shyly hinting at. "Oh," he says, trying to think of what to say, coming to terms with just how much he wants that sort of happy ending too, that happy beginning to the rest of their lives.

Of course, that's not the point of this whole conversation, and Dimitri presses closer before Claude has a chance to refocus himself. "Three years may not be enough time to completely know a person... In fact, I understand that I'll need many more of those years. But I think that's been enough time for me to understand the core of you. Not the details, not the intricacies, perhaps... But the core, yes, absolutely. And at that core... I know you have worked so hard for this moment, and you have worked so hard to make the band what it is." His hand gently presses down a little further against Claude's. "So I know you will do absolutely incredibly in this interview. If for some reason it does not have the impact that you desire... Then I know you will continue on, and that hard work, your dedication and charisma and justice, will draw eyes to you once more. And until that next chance happens..."

Dimitri gently guides Claude's hand out from underneath the sheets, guiding it to his lips like he did so long ago in a zoo parking lot underneath the setting sun.

"I will be there to help you stand tall. To help you continue moving forward. All of our friends- they will be there for the same reason. So don't feel the need to hesitate, Claude. Don't believe you need to hold yourself back, or tie yourself into knots as you prepare for it." From beneath his lashes, Dimitri smiles at him. "Do as you have always done, and know that you will succeed. Whether then, or later. We will be there every step of the way."

Claude is barely conscious of his own actions. All there is for him is Dimitri, and he smiles back as he reaches up to thread his fingers into that beautiful blond hair of his. "How did I ever last this long without you, huh?" he asks playfully.

Typically, Dimitri takes the question completely upfront, even as he nudges his head up into Claude's fingers. "Oh, you're stunning," he answers honestly, absolutely glowing with the way he looks at Claude so adoringly. "I have no doubt that you got through life with that alone."

If he's going to say it like that, well, Claude guesses he has no other choice but to preen a little. "I know I am," he says, grinning widely. "But I guess having a few great friends has helped, hasn't it?"

"They are all certainly impressive," Dimitri agrees with a smile. "So... Do you think that will help you be able to go to sleep a little better, now?"

"Hmmm, I don't know." Claude slides his arms downwards, one arm coming to rest along his shoulders, and his other hand snags Dimitri's eyepatch right underneath the elastic so that he can slide it right off. By this point, the scarring has become familiar, and so has the emptiness that Dimitri occasionally lets him have a glimpse of. All he does is lean in closer, pressing a kiss to Dimitri's brow. "Maybe this time it'll stick... but I think a little more white noise couldn't hurt."

Dimitri leans into his kiss, his touch, like he'll never get enough of it, a sunflower to daylight. "Mmm, I could find an app on my phone. I think ASMR videos are quite popular nowadays..."

Using the way Dimitri follows his touch, Claude gently tugs at his shoulders until Dimitri is laying over him, their legs tangled together. "I don't think I want some random ASMR app," he murmurs, smiling up at Dimitri. "I think I'd like you just talking to me. In particular..." His eyes must be shining. "Maybe you could tell me a little more about us maybe marrying one day in the future, now that you've brought it up."

A wave of pleasant pink begins to wash across Dimitri's face, but it doesn't stop his embarrassed little smile. "I suppose, now that I've mentioned it... It's only fair that I explain more, isn't it?"

Claude graciously allows him to shift his position in bed, all the better for the two of them to curl up against each other. "Definitely only fair," he sighs, smiling as he closes his eyes. "So start with the engagement. Tell me the perfect way you want to propose to me. Do you have a ring in mind...?"

Dimitri's chuckle rolls throughout his chest, right into Claude, and he savors the way it feels. He's always preferred making people laugh in comparison to other reactions they could make... But he thinks it really means something special and satisfying when he hears it, feels it, coming from Dimitri. "Honestly, I've only glanced through my options a few times, when I've felt so sleepy as to be foolish, or we haven't had a chance to speak with one another in a while... Something that I suppose will happen far less, now."

Just the reminder has Claude's smile stretching wider. "It certainly will," he confirms, looking forward to the days ahead. Daring, even, to look forward to how their relationship may change, and how they may become closer.

Continuing on, Dimitri says, "Most of them seem too fancy, or too overly expensive for no reason... I think you deserve the best, of course, but when I thought deeper... I thought you deserved better than that. Better than expensive."

That earns a quiet laugh from Claude. "Better than expensive," he murmurs into Dimitri's chest. "Mm. I like that."

"I thought you would." He can hear the smile in Dimitri's voice. "So, I was thinking.... This is only a thought, of course, I'm not sure yet, but- I could find an antique in some store or another... Something old, and unique, just for you... If I can just find something that fits you perfectly... That would be ideal. And then there's the proposal..." He's cut off by his own yawn, a little noise that can barely be described. Sleep is coming for them soon. Both of them. "Mm. I feel like you wouldn't mind the spectacle of a public proposal..."

Before he can answer, Claude yawns as well. It's truly a contagious thing. Definitely nothing to do with how sleepy he's feeling himself, lulled by the sound of Dimitri's voice. "They're definitely always fun," he mumbles, forcing his brain to keep the words flowing. He knows that's not the point of asking Dimitri to tell him about all of this - well, it's part of the point, and part not. But still... He likes this. Talking about their future together. "But I'd be happy for anything you could come up with... and I know there are a lot of people when it comes to proposals like that..." This proposal should be for both of them, not only Claude. He doesn't want a crowd to ruin such a special day for Dimitri.

One of Dimitri's fingers is twirling through his hair, curling it around the digit. It's comforting. "There are," Dimitri agrees. "But public can be not too bad, depending on how it's done. So I'll do something special like that for you... And then we'll get to live together, just like this, but we'll know we're engaged..."

Claude tries to imagine it, nearly lulling himself to sleep as he does so. Not a lot would actually change, would it? Sure, there would be a lot of paperwork to fill out as they'd become legally married, that's a given. Depending on their marriage- where would they do it? He'd have to write out invitations- not that most of their friends would need them, but, still. His parents should probably need to know. He doesn't think he'll much invite any of his brothers. Then, depending on just what they want to do, they'll have to figure out the scheduling of it all, and getting clothing done, if they even want to deal with that sort of thing at all...

While Claude gets lost in his own head, lost further in dreams that might swallow him up whole, Dimitri continues to speak. "Then we can have a wedding... I'm not sure if there's a particular way you want to do it, any..." Another yawn. "Any Almyran customs... I'd be okay with that if you wanted it to happen. Or maybe we could get Mercedes to be the one to marry us... She's legally allowed to, you know..."

An idea hits him while he's a foot into dreamland, and Claude's smile is a kiss unto its own against Dimitri's bare chest. "We should... dress up. Do our wedding while disguising it as a Halloween party. We can say that our outfits are our costumes... We'll tell no one else besides Mercedes. They'll only all realize when we're exchanging our vows... Can you imagine the wedding pictures?"

Dimitri is already muffling his laugh into Claude's hair before that last sentence is even finished, half asleep though the sound may be. "Oh Claude... No... Felix would kill us. I think Lorenz would expire on the spot... He'd be so upset at not getting to dress his best at your wedding..."

"Ha. He should know better by now..."

The two of them drift off this way, holding each other, snug in their bed, and discussing this silly little thought, this hopeful future. Wrapped up in exhaustion, they don't hold back in the absurdity of trying to plan a Halloween wedding prank- what food would be a good mix that wouldn't let anyone catch onto the plot, if they would still have it in Dimitri's apartment or rent somewhere out to make it something grander, all the fun little details they could hide in the decorations. What if they make the cake toppers into zombie grooms? Little paper bats plastered to the walls and carrying little paper wedding rings? It's silly, and fun... and Claude has no idea when he falls asleep during all of it.

Then again... Maybe that's only to be expected. The harder parts of reality settle in sooner or later, and there's still a lot of unpacking to do in the morning, and an interview he will throw his all at. But... In times like this...

In times like this, reality and his dreams seem to blend so perfectly together where he is, safe and happy in Dimitri's arms.