Exiting his lecture theatre, Dimitri stood against one wall and heaved a sigh, opening his satchel and shoving his jacket into it. For the Lone Moon, it was hot, and he pulled at the collar of his plain white shirt to waft some air across his sweating chest.
Closing his bag once more, students surrounded Dimitri, fleeing from the class he'd just been in as fast as their legs could take them. It was a Friday at Garreg Mach University, and students of Political Science were keen to take off and enjoy their weekend. Dimitri watched as Edelgard and Claude passed him, deep in conversation. Two of the best students in the class - high achievers who made success look a breeze, always blowing Dimitri out of the water in the debate club.
He sighed - he'd have to push harder if he wanted to match their level - match the expectations of his father, who'd done so much to get him in here… Just as he was about to head after them, however, the door across the corridor opened up, and a stream of students poured out of it, blocking Dimitri's path.
The young man watched them all, a little vexed, before he began to think. What class was this, that students that flowed from the room like urgent little fishes? He eyeballed each one, taking note of them - many well-built, strong physiques, and eager, competitive smiles. Phys Ed? Sports Science? A subject requiring a little physical brawl was evident from the muscles that most students packed beneath tight shirts.
It was then, however, that a familiar figure exited the room before Dimitri; a large, broad frame with soft, platinum-white hair. Dedue Molinaro met Dimitri's eyes and cracked a smile, his rugged face lightening slightly as he caught his gaze. Memories flooded back to Dimitri: meeting in their shared dorm, hitting it off, having one too many awkward moments of fleeting glances and close encounters…
As Dedue walked past Dimitri now, his coy smile was still as handsome as Dimitri last remembered it. The blonde gave a blush in return, watching the Duscan man laugh as he disappeared around a corner.
So, it was a Physiotherapy class. Dimitri had almost been right.
"Hey." A hard voice came from behind him, and Dimitri spun around with a start to see Felix Fraldarius standing with his arms folded, eyebrow raised up at him.
Dimitri's heart leapt slightly. Damn, if Felix didn't always look so good. With such an otherworldly aura - his sour temper, and bold, sharp features upon cool, ivory skin - the man was almost frightening.
… Who was Dimitri kidding? He was terrified of him.
"F-Felix," he simply said, taking in the man's outfit of a tight black turtleneck and high-waisted jeans. His leather boots were tall, almost reaching his knees, where they were tied up with silver laces. Dimitri had to admit: he'd always been a sucker for the man's fashion sense.
"What was that?" Felix asked him, his narrow eyes in a glower.
Dimitri merely blinked at him for a second. Was he… speaking to him? "… What?"
Another scowl curdled Felix's handsome face. "Just then. With that guy."
Somehow, Dimitri had forgotten everything that had ever happened to him as he stared into those eyes of molten gold. He needed desperately to fathom what the man meant, but he was at a loss.
"You were positively blushing over some Physio student," Felix spat at him. His angular eyebrows were drawn now, looking nothing short of irritated.
Dedue. Molinaro. "Oh," Dimitri managed at last. "You saw that?"
"Yeah. I saw that."
A nervous laugh escaped Dimitri's throat. Fraldarius was puzzling him. Dimitri had worked with him twice before in group projects, and had sat near him a couple of times in lectures, but aside from that, the two men barely knew each other. Felix actually majored in Criminology - Political Science he'd taken just to please his father - but that was the extent of Dimitri's knowledge of him. For him to be interested at all in Dimitri's life was frankly astounding.
"So… What's up?" Dimitri pressed his lips together, feeling increasingly awkward at the situation; not only had he been caught goofing off with a man he'd once crushed on a little, but he was evidently being judged for it, too.
"What's up is: who does that?" A sort of cunning look came over Felix now, twisting his lips that were so thin but still so enticing. "Who goes around blushing at other men?"
Dimitri's heart froze in his chest, ice seeming to crackle through his lungs and across his ribs. What was Felix insinuating? "What do you…?"
"Are you into him, or…?"
It was as if all the ice cracked at once, making way for a flood of warmth throughout Dimitri's body. His skin prickled as a wave of sweat shot through him, blood rushing to the surface of his face and heating his cheeks once more. There was no way his entire face hadn't gone red - a trait he always cursed himself for - and he looked away hurriedly as he began stumbling over his words.
Felix merely laughed - a nasty noise that sounded full of venom. "Well, there's my answer!"
Dimitri's breathing was laboured. How had he known!? Was it obvious? Did everybody know? Was Dimitri the token closeted kid whom everybody secretly laughed at? He became aware that panic had overridden his body, his fingers beginning to quake slightly as he swallowed an awful taste in his throat. "What does it matter?" he whispered to Felix, sounding cagey.
The man cocked his head at Dimitri, one eyebrow raised once more. He then shook his head with an exasperated sigh. "Because, I'm into you. Dumbass. It'd be helpful to know if you're taken or not."
Dimitri felt like I'd been hit by a car and a train all at once. Felix Fraldarius was a head-turner; his style was immaculate, always looking as though he could be on a catwalk, with features so perfect in a face so beautiful he could easily have been a model. Did he just say he was… into Dimitri? The prospect was absurd. No, it couldn't be; he'd misheard.
"Wh… What?" Was all he could get out.
Now it was Felix's turn to look a little bashful. In the only display of shyness Dimitri had ever witnessed of him, Felix turned his head away with a face of irritation. His words held no such hesitance, however. "You heard. Don't make me spell it out."
Into… Dimitri? Felix knew who he was speaking to, right? He had functioning eyes, right? Dimitri Blaiddyd was nothing - a tall, pale, bumbling fool whose limbs seemed to work separately from the rest of his body. His hair was an unkempt mess, and he wore a patch over one eye from an accident caused by his own incompetence. Felix had to be aware that Dimitri was entirely plain, if not outright repulsive - were it not for being annoyingly tall, his friends would often lose him in crowds due to his facial features being so unremarkable. Compared to Felix - the man whose prepossessing beauty set him apart from anybody else - Dimitri was frankly laughable.
To boot, he was… Well, Felix had said it himself. He was a dumbass. While Felix drew the eyes of every woman - and many men - in the vicinity when he walked in late with his steaming, bitter-scented coffee shop orders, Dimitri often tripped over his own shoelaces upon entering the room. Felix was smart, always contributing his often-profound ideas to the class, but cool as well - quick-witted and aloof to the point people were terrified to talk to him.
Being paired up with him for a project in the first year had threatened to stop Dimitri's heart. Yet, despite Felix's near-supercilious reputation, he was… nice. Surprisingly amicable. Quick to laugh, with an excellent sense of humour; the two men had gotten on surprisingly well.
Unless… That was because he…
"Hello? Do I need to spell it out?" Felix put his hands on his hips. "If you're a lost cause, just say so. I'll back off."
No, Felix Fraldarius, Dimitri was not a lost cause. A long sigh left the blonde's nose, shaky with nerves and fear. "Wanna grab a coffee?"
Felix sat down opposite Dimitri, a steaming mug in his hands. "What do you want to talk about?" he asked in a drawl, sounding bored.
Dimitri cupped his own mug that sat upon the table before him, looking out at the café around them. Sitting in a booth, the two were rather private, and to his right was a large window that looked out onto the bustling high street outside. "Just…" He tried to compose himself, fighting to ignore his nervousness and fresh confusion. "You're into me?"
"I already said this." Felix looked as though he might throw his mug.
"I know, but… why?"
Yet, instead of hurling his scalding black coffee in Dimitri's dumbfounded face, he gave a laugh. It was not the spiteful, sharp laugh he'd given before, however. No, this one was positively nice. Almost piteous. His hands reached upwards, playing around the messy bun that sat high atop his own head to pull it loose; the action sent his silky, azure-hued hair cascading over his shoulders, where he then cocked his head with a calculating smile.
It overawed Dimitri - never before had he seen the man's hair loose, but it was… indescribable. In a moment of panic, Dimitri felt that it had sent his blood rushing downwards, making him swallow hard and cross his legs beneath the table.
Felix laughed at his reaction, too. "Why am I into you? Fuck, don't ask me. I can't help it."
Dimitri was pulled from his stupor, a little stung by the remark. "Why, thank you."
"So, why did you bring me here? You're gonna draw your rejection out for this long?"
Rejection? Dimitri back-pedalled fast. "No, no! Not rejection, no-"
With a sigh, Felix gave an exasperated look. "Then, what?"
At first, Dimitri had been incredibly excited at the idea of the most stunning man in class being into him, despite his initial shock. The more he spoke, however, the more deflated Dimitri began to feel: embarrassed, as though Fraldarius was ashamed, or irritated about being into him. The blunt manner in which he'd confessed only served further to beat Dimitri down; perhaps it was his own paranoia - which, admittedly, had always been rampant - but he was seriously questioning whether this was an elaborate ploy set up by Felix and his friends to trick Dimitri into thinking he had a chance.
Blaiddyd had never been a high-achiever, nor very talented at anything. He was a danger to himself, and to others, but became a blundering mess upon trying to hide it. The idea that anybody could like him was simply… a mistake.
"Tell me why," he asked of Felix. "Please."
The dark-haired man raised his eyebrows with another piteous laugh. "You look good, Blaiddyd." At the evident skepticism on Dimitri's face, he continued. "Don't give me that look. You do."
"I'm not convinced."
"You don't think you're attractive?"
Dimitri's face began to burn again - everybody knew damn well he was a mess.
"Well, you certainly look good when you blush." He rested his elbows upon the table, cupping his mug once more and lifting it to his lips. The amount of steam that surged from the heat of the liquid inside made it look dangerous, but Felix did not so much as bat an eyelid as he drank from it.
Dimitri sat back in his seat. "If this is some sort of plot to embarrass me, I have to tell you I already figured it out." But, damn, if Felix didn't look beautiful, staring at him through those cat's eyes. Dimitri wanted badly for this to be true - for Felix to be sincere.
He was met with a noise of pure disgust. "You think I have time for petty games? Alas, Blaiddyd. Unfortunately, I'm into you. " He drank from his mug once more. "Now, can I leave? Or are you going to give me an answer?"
Dimitri took a shaky breath, and cursed himself inwardly. He was not good at this. Not good at speaking to people, nor at accepting compliments. To wrap his head around the fact somebody liked him was… He'd never experienced it before. "I'm… not with Dedue."
"Who?" The look on Felix's face made him feel stupid. Nothing he wasn't used to.
"The man you saw before. You asked if I was with him, but… I'm not."
"Well, that's good news."
"Just…" Dimitri tried to bury his feelings of inadequacy. "Are… you sure?"
"Don't make me change my mind." Felix's expression was calculating, but still somehow kind. Trying to look inside of Dimitri - work him out - and enjoying it. "Now I really want to get to know you better."
"You won't find much," Dimitri admitted. "What you see is what you get."
Felix's eyes darted down to Dimitri's chest - to the pectoral muscles that seemed wont to burst through his white t-shirt. "I guess I like what I see, then."
A wobbly smile cradled Dimitri's face. He could work with that.
Of course, it went without saying that he was into Felix, too. He had been since he'd laid eyes on him. The most attractive, smart, sly man in class? It was only natural that would leap at any opportunity he got - if he had the courage. Now that he actually had a chance, though… "Then, shall we head back to my place?"