Author's Note: Honestly, this is just some shameless fluff, because I love Dimidue and could write about these two for ages. This is also loosely connected to my other Dimidue fic, Stay With Me (there are one or two vague references to it, and I like to think this one takes place after it), though reading it isn't required (just recommended). Anyway, have some more soft Dimidue.

Together

Baking wasn't as difficult as he'd thought, Dimitri decided as he looked over his work.

He'd wanted to make something for Dedue—it was small, but a token of appreciation nonetheless—and Dimitri had, quite honestly, felt silly over how long he'd spent agonizing about what to do. Finally, Dimitri decided that, as Dedue liked to cook, maybe some food would do the trick. However, he'd then run into the issue of having minimal cooking experience; Dimitri had cooked with Byleth and a few of their other comrades a handful of times, but it was rare for him to do things on his own. He was hardly bad at it, but he wasn't an expert, either.

(Besides, Dimitri had sullenly added, he didn't trust himself to season things properly when he was alone. So many recipes called for spices "to taste"—and he couldn't check how things tasted by himself. He could always leave dishes plain or rely partially on smell, but Dimitri insisted that Dedue didn't deserve something that was either plain or even slightly based on guesswork.)

Eventually, Dimitri had borrowed a few recipes from Mercedes, and he'd gone through them once arriving in the kitchens. Baking some kind of dessert would be much easier than preparing a main dish; most of her suggestions had precise measurements that he could easily follow. Dimitri settled on some lightly-sweetened bread rolls, and he'd just finished the batch.

They did smell nice, he thought as he gathered them into a bowl. Hopefully that meant they tasted as good as they looked… Though, surely if the recipe came from Mercedes, that meant it would be fine.

Dimitri shook his head as he left the dining hall. He was worrying overmuch about something that wasn't a big deal. While of course he wanted them to be fine, he'd followed the recipe well enough; surely it was okay.

(He was relieved to be outside again, though. Despite the fact that he'd consistently taken to wearing his hair partly pulled back lately—at the suggestion of Dedue himself, no less—he'd gotten quite warm in the kitchen, and the air felt nice against his neck.)

At any rate, it didn't take him long to reach Dedue's quarters, and Dimitri balanced the bowl of rolls in one arm as he knocked on the door. Dedue answered within seconds, and Dimitri smiled absently as he greeted him.

"Did you need something, Dimitri?"

"Oh, nothing so serious," he replied, laughing faintly. "I, er…that is, I'd just borrowed this recipe from Mercedes, so I was hoping maybe you'd like to try some?"

Dimitri gestured to the food, and there was a faint flicker of a smile on Dedue's face as he stepped aside to let Dimitri inside. He paused as he glanced around, trying to decide where to set the treats. Dedue's room was clean and well-tended, though there weren't many places for them to sit together and eat. His eye eventually settled on the bed, and he tentatively glanced over at Dedue again.

"Do you mind if we…?"

Dedue shook his head. "Of course not; go ahead and sit down."

The two of them settled on Dedue's bed with the bowl set between them. Dimitri waited for Dedue to take one of the rolls before grabbing one for himself, and he eyed the other man as he ate. The texture was nice, Dimitri thought as he chewed; they were light and soft without being too delicate, and they were still slightly warm. He could, very faintly, make out a bit of the flavor, but it was still hard to gauge exactly what they tasted like.

Finally, Dedue finished off his pastry, and that faint smile had returned to his face again. Dimitri tried not to stare—while Dedue was considerably more open (especially around Dimitri) than he'd used to be, seeing him smile was wonderful. And if it was because of something Dimitri did, even if it was something as small as this, that made it all the better.

"The outside was the slightest bit dry, but you did well on them otherwise," Dedue commented idly. "Mercedes made these for me once before, and they tasted nearly identical."

Dimitri sighed in relief. "Good; I was…honestly a bit nervous making these. It was my first attempt at them, so I'm glad they came out well."

"Mm." Dedue nodded. "I believe you could get them perfectly if you took them out of the oven a minute or two earlier."

"Perhaps it's something you could do with me sometime, then?" Dimitri coughed awkwardly before adding, "Not that I need you to watch my every move; I just thought that it's something we could do together sometime. If you want to, that is."

"You know I would be glad to help, surely? And you are hardly asking me to do something I dislike."

Dimitri nodded at the agreement, absently reaching for Dedue's hand and smiling lightly as he accepted it. He rarely did so in public, but Dimitri had often found himself taking Dedue's hand when they were alone. Over the past few weeks, they'd spent more time doing small things together—mostly taking their meals at the same time or tending to the greenhouse, but sometimes indulging in visits like this as well. Dimitri had found himself treasuring these moments, wishing that he could give Dedue small gestures like this more often.

"Then I would love to," he replied warmly. "You do know I cherish our time together, don't you?"

Dedue smiled again, shaking his head, and Dimitri found himself unable to look away from him as he replied.

"You have told me, many times, yes. But I do treasure these moments as well."

Dimitri lightly squeezed Dedue's fingers at the response, and he shifted his hand slightly to lock their fingers together. Dedue's hands were always warm and comfortable, despite being slightly calloused from hours of physical activity per day. The feel of their palms brushing together was honestly more relaxing than it had any right to be—it was such a simple movement, after all.

(Then again, Dedue had always been able to make the simplest things feel important, somehow; that was how it had always been.)

"Good; it would hardly do for me to force you into it," Dimitri commented in amusement.

"I could never feel forced with you," Dedue replied, absently running his thumb across the back of Dimitri's hand. "Though I know you have told me I should not feel obligated—before you worry, it is just the opposite."

"I suppose were we not talking about baking, I might be." Dimitri shook his head, though he was smiling as well. "I do want you to do things for yourself, because you want to…but I would still like to spend all the time with you that I can, selfish as it may sound."

It was the least he could do, to encourage Dedue as much as he could while still giving him some affection now and then. And this honestly felt like a perfect way to do it. He idly reached for Dedue's other hand, though he paused halfway before glancing back down at the bowl of pastries still sitting between them. Dedue promptly caught the gesture and moved the bowl to his other side, taking Dimitri's hand as he replied.

"Did I not agree already? Spending time with you is never a bother, so there is no need to be so worried about it."

"Still…" Dimitri sighed. "I'm relieved, nonetheless."

They fell quiet for a few seconds afterwards, though it was a comfortable silence rather than an awkward one. Dimitri smiled as he squeezed Dedue's hands again, silently delighted as Dedue brushed his fingers across his hands. It was surreal to think of how natural it felt, with how long it had taken Dedue to be truly comfortable calling himself Dimitri's friend, but that made the situation even better.

Dimitri cleared his throat. "Then, perhaps once all this is over, we could…continue doing things like this?"

"Once you have properly ascended the throne, you mean?" Dedue blinked. "Dimitri, surely you will have other duties to attend to, rather than spending your time on something so frivolous."

"You yourself said you could never feel forced with me, yes? Surely you realize that you could never be something frivolous."

Dimitri reluctantly released one of Dedue's hands, his fingers coming up to rest on Dedue's shoulder. There was something gnawing in the back of his mind, something he'd been struggling to put a finger on for a while now. And, somehow, Dimitri felt like he was very, very close to putting his thoughts into words. Which he probably ought to do, given the confused and expectant, yet not displeased, expression on Dedue's face.

"I know this is something else I've said many times, but…I truly do cherish you, Dedue. I…"

He paused, taking a deep breath, and slowly leaned in towards Dedue. Perhaps it would be easier to act first. Dimitri was sure he'd regret what he was about to do, but—

Surprisingly, Dedue didn't pull back. Despite the brief stiffening in surprise, Dedue shifted into the kiss, bringing his free hand up to Dimitri's face. He gently brushed his fingers across Dimitri's cheek before cupping his jaw, his lips pressed warmly against Dimitri's own.

Dimitri was so elated he could barely remember to breathe. He moved his hand to the back of Dedue's head, leaning even closer to him as he took in the feeling of Dedue's lips. They were softer than he'd expected, despite the faint dip of the scar running across his mouth, and he briefly hoped that his own weren't too thin or uncomfortable. But Dedue was still returning the kiss, gently and warmly despite both of them being slightly clumsy and awkward about it.

When they finally separated, Dimitri could only hope his face wasn't too red. He was slightly breathless, yet satisfied, and Dedue's eyes bore an odd mix of confusion and contentment when they fluttered open.

"Dimitri, I…"

"I apologize, Dedue," he mumbled. "I said I didn't want you to feel forced, and then I… A-anyway, that is…I…I love you. Deeply. I have for a while. And once this war is through…I would like to have you by my side, for the rest of our lives. As my partner. If you would have me—"

Dedue traced his fingers across Dimitri's face again, smile growing slightly as he cut Dimitri off with a light kiss on the forehead. His smile really was lovely, Dimitri thought, his own expression growing softer at the gesture of affection. Before Dedue even replied, there was a wave of relief undoing the knot in Dimitri's stomach.

"Even when I tried to make more strides in truly being your friend…I still thought my feelings too inappropriate." Dedue took a deep, shaky breath before continuing. "It is because I feel the same. I love you as well, Dimitri. But if you desire it as well, then…we can be whatever you would like."

"Then…we will make it through the rest of the war," Dimitri replied softly, "and we can work through this. Together."

Dedue's hand shifted to the back of Dimitri's head, and he sighed as Dedue gently stroked his hair.

"Yes—together."

And, as Dimitri leaned in for another, more confident, kiss, the only thing he regretted was not having spoken up sooner.