Author's Note: And here we go, the end of the fic! The chapter ended up slightly shorter than intended, as some of the things I'd planned to put here wound up in the previous one instead. I think this still works well as a nice little wind-down, though, and it was nice to have a mostly happy ending. This fic was an interesting little challenge, so thank you to everyone who's read along!
Chapter Nine: Come What May
Dimitri paced absently in front of the door. It had been nearly a full day since Dedue returned to normal, and Dimitri had forced him to rest the previous evening. He'd helped Dedue get dressed and eat, which had been met with equal parts embarrassment and appreciation. Finally, Dimitri had insisted that Dedue sleep in his bed that night.
It had been tempting—so tempting—to hold and touch Dedue, to show him just how much he cherished him. Dimitri wanted to feel Dedue in his arms, to reassure both of them that he was all right. But he hadn't wanted to push or rush Dedue either, so he'd settled for watching Dedue fall asleep beside him before drifting off as well.
Now, he was slowly getting up and about, but Mercedes firmly insisted that he do so in limited amounts and have help as much as possible. Dimitri had run a bath for Dedue, who insisted equally-firmly that he was capable of bathing himself. Dimitri felt foolish and overprotective and maybe like he was being a little condescending. Dedue was a grown man, and he wasn't that helpless. He would be fine.
Dimitri couldn't help laughing, though, remembering an instance back in their school days when he'd refused a similar offer. He thought now that he could maybe understand where Dedue had been coming from. While Dimitri knew he was being ridiculous, he'd been so sure that he was going to lose Dedue that now he wanted to be certain he was okay.
Eventually, the door opened, and Dedue stepped back into Dimitri's room. He was finally clean again, and dressed in some of the fresher clothes Dimitri had dug out of his room, but his footsteps were a little unsteady. Dimitri automatically offered him an arm, and Dedue shook his head as he got himself balanced again. However, there was a small smile on his face in spite of everything.
"…Thank you, Dimitri."
He was still using Dimitri's name, too, and Dimitri was silently elated about that. Dimitri wasn't sure if he'd do it for much longer, or if he'd only do it when they were alone, but he didn't care. The fact that Dedue was using his name at all was…well, it was something. Dimitri could decide what it meant later, but he allowed himself to be happy about it.
"You're welcome," he replied quietly. "Do you…need anything?"
"I am a little hungry," Dedue admitted.
"I'll have some food delivered, then." Dimitri paused, and then added, "Would you like to eat out in the garden? I can help you down there, if you want."
"I suppose I will have to put up with you being overprotective for a little while longer." There was an amused tone to Dedue's voice that Dimitri rarely heard him use. "I can get to the garden just fine, but…I would like that very much."
"Please, Dedue, you're one to talk about being overprotective. But shall we go, then?"
Dedue nodded, and he let Dimitri support him on the way to the door. Dimitri paused before opening it, lowering his hands to gently hold Dedue's for a brief moment. They were…large and warm and steady, and they reminded Dimitri that Dedue was back to normal again. He smiled as Dedue lightly squeezed his hands in return. Finally, they shifted to their previous position—still close, but only steadying rather than intimate.
Dimitri wasn't sure how things would be between them now, having made their confessions. He didn't know what things would be like for Dedue, either—whether or not people would gossip over what he'd done and make it harder for him to be accepted. And Dimitri knew there was still work to be done, both for Leicester and for Faerghus. Everything was so complicated, and all Dimitri could say for certain was that there would be some lingering rough patches to deal with.
But somehow, with Dedue at his side, it seemed more manageable; Dimitri would accept whatever happened next as long as he had that.