"You're a moron, Sylvain." Dimitri says with a straightforwardness that is rare of him.
"Even a broken clock is right twice a day." Felix points out.
The boys were, once again, lounging at the exercise room. Or, rather, Felix was already there, Dimitri arrived for trying to take his head off of things by training and Sylvain trailed behind with a supposedly harebrained scheme.
"Thank you for your confidence, Felix." The redhead beams.
His friend glared. "Sometimes I don't know whether you're dumb or just that obtuse."
"Sylvain, let it go." Dimitri insists again. "I will not make any kind of grand confession, no matter how much you believe that it is romantic, and I also won't have you pestering our landlady with the subject."
"I am not pestering Byleth, I'm merely insinuating that, if she would ever like a piece of Blaiddyd pie, she should say so." Sylvain points out, as if it is the most normal thing in the world.
"That's harassment, and Mr. Eisner will have your hide if he ever hears of it." The blond counters.
Dimitri often wonders what took over him to ever insinuate, not to mention downright confess, that he nurtured any kind of affection for Byleth. Then he remembers exactly what it was, he got drunk and ran his mouth. Unfortunately for him, years of drunken trysts in the seedy parts of Garreg Mach left Sylvain with a sharp memory, even when shamelessly drunk, and so he remembered what was deemed the 'story of the year'.
Why is that every time he drinks a little too much, some sort of Byleth-related catastrophe happens in his life?
"Dude, please. She's just out there on the backyard." Sylvain pleaded, in a tone that suggested that the situation pained him. "Just tell her you love her. This whole thing is ridiculous. She sleeps with you one night and we wake up to pancakes, you shout at her once and suddenly we are all out of salt in this damn house. If not for yourself, think about my dietary restrictions, for the love of Sothis!"
Felix sighed. "Look, if you want to brood, that's your prerogative, but at least talk to her. You don't have to tell her you love her, you don't have to marry her or fuck her, but I think you should just clear the air between you. This weekend has been an emotional roller-coaster for all of us, and you owe her at the very least the decency of telling her you'll be pushing her away again."
Dimitri sighed. His friend had a point there. Having someone run hot and cold at you is unpleasant, but if he cuts off all interaction in the sudden manner he was planning to, then it would hurt significantly more. He should just tell her he is moving out before the end of the year. Perhaps Rodrigue would be amendable to him sleeping at a hotel for the next two Moons? Or he could sit his final exams a little early?
Whether she reciprocate his feelings or not, the fact stands that he loves that woman and does not want to cause her harm. This still means putting some distance between them, but it might also mean to be gentle when he does it.
"Fine." The blond breathes out. "I'll do it, but please respect our privacy. I don't want any of you listening in our conversation and exposing Byleth to ridicule."
"Aye, aye, Your Highness." Sylvain saluted.
Felix placed a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "I'll make sure he keeps his end of the deal. We'll go to the gym for the hour, and the keys for the back door are on the kitchen cabinet."
"Thank you, Felix." Dimitri said and left.
"Hey, I didn't agree to go to the gym!" Sylvain complains, but it is now out of earshot of the blond.
Dimitri finds Byleth exactly where he was told she would be, sitting on the swing seat at the far-right corner of the garden. She was reading a book he could not identify, but that seems to entrance all of her attention, as her usually sharp senses did not detect the large man locking the door and coming closer.
He sits down on the swing seat, just next to her, but she does not bring her eyes up from the yellowing pages, even as she feels his intense gaze on her figure.
"It is a nice day for some reading, don't you think?" She speaks, as she turns a page on the volume.
"I suppose." The blond man responds, not really knowing what to say. "I was meaning to talk to you."
"I'd guess that you want to know what happened tonight. Very well, you had a nightmare again." The older woman blurts out.
Dimitri looks up to her with a shock on his face. He does not remember any of it, except for the fact he found it very strange not to have had nightmares the night before.
"You were having trouble sleeping easy again, you were screaming and talking as you often do, and just like the night before, nothing that I did would have any results. So, I tried sleeping in your bed again, and it worked." Byleth explains her reasoning. "I'm sorry if I violated your personal space once again, I know that yesterday you were angry exactly because of that, and perhaps I shouldn't have done it again..."
The woman trails off and takes a deep breath. The blond listens with attention and makes no motion for stopping her.
"Look, Dimitri, I know you don't want to talk about it and you really don't have to, but I can't let you stay like this and do nothing. It is not in my nature." She states with a cold certainty. "However, what you said yesterday really hurt me. For years I've tried to help you out and never have I asked for any consideration, but I also don't want to be shouted at and thrown around over it. I'm not hurting you, I'm trying to help you, so if you think I'm going at this the wrong way, then point me to the right one."
Dimitri averts his eyes in shame. "I know, and I'm sorry. It's just too heavy for me right now, and I prefer to pretend it's just not there."
"But it is. The more you suppress it, the more you'll have nightmares." Byleth reasons, without looking at him, either.
The pair of cold sapphires in his eyes gaze upon the green-haired beauty steadily and with conviction.
"No, I won't. Last night, I don't remember having any nightmares. In fact, I had the best night's sleep in Moons, perhaps in years." Dimitri says. "I only remember dreaming of saying..."
He stops talking and looks down at his feet.
Byleth gets up to stand right in front of him. Due to their large height difference, his head is just a little lower than hers. The man raises his gaze, communicating confusion at her movement, but she only ignores it. A heartbeat passes them by, and then she looks down and kisses him.
At first, Dimitri freezes, but when he realises what is happening, his hands find her thighs and he returns the kiss with passion. She places her knees at each side of Dimitri' legs and sit on them, as his strong legs are more than enough to support her weight and the angle allows for better access to the mouth.
The green-haired woman breaks the kiss. "Oh, yeah, I heard it alright."
He pulls her down once more and kisses her again, trying to satisfy a hunger that burned for years. As for Byleth, she figures that kissing Dimitri is even better than what she imagined. His soft lips make hers ache for more. His hands are at the exact right place. She is a little surprised that the sweet and innocent boy can be so passionate and lustful.
She breaks the kiss and watch the man's smile grow. He looks happier than she has ever seen him.
"Now will you let me help you?" Byleth asks, petulantly.
"Whatever you say." He agrees, promptly.