Dimitri walked several paces ahead of Eve as he led her to his quarters. Typically, he made an effort to walk beside her, equal. But right now, he couldn't risk Eve being able to see his features with how clouded his mind was. Leading her to his room like this, alone, he couldn't help but think of all the deplorable fantasies that had come to mind when she asked him for his most selfish desire.
Was he truly such a beast of a man that he couldn't control himself? He had promised he would never touch Eve unless she asked it of him. And since he made that promise, the only contact they had had was when she initiated. But that didn't mean he didn't think of touching her.
He thought about her touch often, far more often than could ever be considered appropriate. Like some kind of disgusting pervert, his mind had neatly archived every instance of physical contact he had with her. And whenever he had an idle moment, it seemed these memories always came to the forefront.
His most sinful of these memories also happened to be the one he would think of most often. That night after Conand Tower when Eve had sung him to sleep with his head in her lap, he had woken hours later to see Eve sleeping as well. Her fingers were still tangled in his hair and he found his cheek was pressed against her bare inner thigh where her nightgown had ridden up.
What he should have done was remove himself and return to his own quarters. But instead, he had closed his eyes and breathed in her scent as he allowed himself to fall back asleep. He had known people would misunderstand if he was seen leaving her room the next morning, but perhaps a terrible part of him had wanted them to misunderstand.
Disgusting
Perverted
How dare you think of her like that
She would never let you lay a finger on her
His own thoughts mixed with the voices of the dead, admonishing him for his sinful desires. But just as he thought he might snap under the pressure, Eve's gentle voice brought him back to reality.
"Are we… going to go in?" Eve was looking at him oddly, her head cocked to the side to look at Dimitri's face.
They were standing in front of his door. How long had they been there? How long had he been lost in thought?
"Yes, apologies." Dimitri cleared his throat, turning the knob and stepping in to hold the door open for Eve.
Casually, Eve strode into his room as if it were the most natural place for her to be. Dimitri watched as she clambered onto his bookshelf to sit atop it cross-legged. Before joining her, he took the chair that sat at his desk and used it to prop open the door.
The last thing he needed was Sylvain taking notice of him having Eve alone behind closed doors and mentioning it at dinner. He also couldn't trust his own mind not to wander if they had too much privacy.
"Goodness, Eve." Dimitri blinked in surprise as he watched her take the bandages off her hands. "I did not think it would be this bad."
He sat next to her on his shelf with one leg dangling off the side and looked at her hands that were covered in wounds, his previous thoughts expelled just by the sight of them. There were all different types of cuts covering her palms and fingers. They were short, long, deep, shallow; some were already scabbed over while others were clearly fresh.
"Is it really that bad?" Eve frowned, looking at her hands with astonishing indifference.
"Yes!" Dimitri replied earnestly. "Eve, why would you make new cuts if you were not able to heal the previous ones?"
"I don't know." She shrugged. "I thought maybe it had to do with one type of cut being easier to heal than others."
"Does it not hurt?" He looked at her with furrowed brows. How could she have such disregard for her own wellbeing?
"Sure it does." Eve nodded, again with a small frown. "But I've had worse."
"I struggle to understand you." Dimitri shook his head solemnly. "For someone to care so deeply that others do not come to harm and yet have no regard for her own pain."
"Well, show me how to heal them then." Eve presented her hands to Dimitri with her palms out. "If you teach me well, I'll have no reason to do this again."
"Show me how you've been doing it first." Dimitri said after a moment of thought. "Perhaps I might be able to pinpoint what you've been doing wrong."
Eve nodded in agreement, dropping her left hand into her lap. She let her right hand hover over it, a white glow emanating from it as she cast Heal. Dimitri watched her closely, noting the indifference in her eyes as she regarded her wounded hands. And he watched further as a frustrated scowl curled her lips when nothing happened.
"I think I may know what is going awry." Dimitri said once Eve gave up and returned her gaze to him.
"What is it?" Eve asked, leaning forward slightly.
Dimitri couldn't help but smile at her eagerness. Eve truly did have a desire to take pain away from others. Perhaps it was why he was drawn to her—he hoped she would be the person who could take his pain away.
"Let me ask you this first," Dimitri said, "have you only tried healing yourself?"
"Yes." She nodded, speaking slowly as if she wasn't sure where he was going with this.
"Think about the two best healers in our class: Linhardt and Mercedes." Dimitri motioned to the side as if the two in question were standing right there. "What do they have in common?"
"Ponytail." Eve answered rather simply without even a moment's hesitation.
Dimitri couldn't help the chuckle that rumbled in his chest as it turned into a full laugh. Even Eve snickered at her own answer, eyes crinkling into one of her rare genuine smiles.
"Besides that." He grinned at her.
"Tell me." She said with a light shake of her head.
"They both don't want to see other people injured." Dimitri explained. "Linhardt hates the sight of blood, so he has a very strong desire for people's wounds to be gone. As for Mercedes, she's a naturally caring person who doesn't want to see others in pain."
"What's that got to do with my healing spells?" Eve pursed her lips in confusion.
"A healing spell is only ever as strong as the intention behind it." Dimitri motioned towards her hands which she held out to him.
He let his hands hover over hers, one above and the other below. And as he cast Heal, he put into the spell his desire for Eve's wounds to be gone. His feelings of love and his worry for her were all funnelled into his magic.
"The Professor told me that when she was tutoring me in Faith magic." Dimitri watched as the cuts on Eve's hands started to close. "When you're casting healing magic, you have to think about wanting to see those wounds disappear."
"I don't get it." Eve's brow furrowed as she watched Dimitri work. She marvelled at the warmth that came from his hands. Even without him touching her, she could feel all of his compassion.
"If I've learned anything about you, Eve, it's that you don't care if you get hurt." Dimitri momentarily looked up from their hands to meet her gaze. "You were willing to take on Professor Manuela's stab wound just so that she wouldn't have to be the one to bear it. So many times you've let your own well-being be secondary to that of others."
"But what does that have to do with me not being able to cast Heal?" Eve asked.
"I don't think you're unable to cast Heal." Dimitri shook his head. "I think you're just unable to cast it on yourself."
"What? Why?" Eve jerked back slightly in surprise.
"Like I said, a healing spell is only ever as good as the intentions behind it." Dimitri reiterated. "You don't really have any strong intentions to heal yourself because you don't see your own wounds as a problem."
"I suppose you're right on that front." Eve mused as Dimitri finally pulled his hands away from hers, revealing the fully healed flesh. "Wow, it's like they were never there."
"You have to care enough for the wound to go away." Dimitri said as he reached for a letter opener that was sitting on his desk.
"What are you doing?" Eve cried out in shock when Dimitri removed his glove and sliced a thin cut into the centre of his palm with the instrument.
"I want you to try healing me." He said, offering up his un-gloved hand. "Remember what I said. Think about your intention when you use the spell."
He was sure he was right about why Eve was unable to heal her own wounds. But he was also worried that she may not be able to heal him either. Dimitri knew he was being presumptuous at best that Eve cared enough about him to be worried about his cut.
"Okay." Despite his silent concerns, Eve took his hand unflinchingly.
She reached out with her left hand to support his own and pull it slightly closer to her. And with intense focus, Eve hovered her right hand over his open cut. He wondered what was on her mind as she cast Heal. Did she care for him? Was he someone whose pain she wanted to take away? And if that was the case, did he deserve it?
"It worked!" She looked up to meet Dimitri's eyes with glittering excitement. "Look, it worked!"
She beamed with pride as she looked back down at his palm which was now smooth as if there had never been a cut there in the first place.
"Incredible, Eve." Dimitri praised her as he put his glove back on. And despite his better judgement he asked, "what did you think of this time?"
"Oh." Eve bit her lip, taking on a slightly embarrassed look. "I feel a bit foolish to say."
"It is okay then," Dimitri smiled, "you do not have to."
"It was the marzipan." She admitted suddenly, looking away sheepishly.
"Pardon?" Dimitri cocked his head curiously.
"I thought about how happy you looked to share the marzipan with me." Eve continued to avoid his gaze though his eyes never left her face. "And I thought about how upset you looked when you saw my hands."
"I see." Dimitri nodded, begging his heart not to run wild with this piece of information. That plead, however, would go completely ignored as soon as Eve spoke her next words.
"I was thinking about how much more I preferred the way you looked with the marzipan." Eve finally turned to look at Dimitri with a small smile. "Is that silly?"
"No, not at all." Dimitri smiled with a shake of his head.
It was times like these when Eve said the most disarming things that he would feel himself falling deeper and deeper in love with her. He felt as though he had finally found the real Eve beneath her layers of protective charades.
She had been cold and stoic when first they met, relentlessly teasing him when she had him alone. But now he knew her to be passionate and caring with a mischievous streak. She spoke more freely with him now, though never about her past. And every day he felt he was awarded more and more of her genuine smiles and laughs.
"Dimitri." Eve stood from her perch and whirled around to face the prince. "Can I ask you a favour?"
"Of course." Dimitri nodded gravely.
"If you get injured during training or anything like that," she leaned forward to bring her face closer to his, "can you let me heal you?"
"You… want to heal me?" Dimitri asked, blinking in surprise.
"Not that I hope you get injured." She qualified, straightening up rapidly. "Just on the off chance that you do. So that I can practice my healing since it seems I can't do it on myself."
"I would be happy to help, then." Dimitri nodded with a smile.
He couldn't ever recall a time where Eve asked anyone for assistance, so he couldn't help the pride and happiness that blossomed in his chest at her request.
"Hey lovebirds!" Sylvain suddenly appeared in the doorframe with a rather cross looking Felix beside him. "Ready for dinner with the Deer?"
"Is it already that late?" Eve turned to look at the two men in the doorway with mild surprise.
"I apologise, Eve, I did not intend to keep you that long." Dimitri stood and smoothed his hands over the wrinkles that had formed in his uniform.
"No worries." She shook her head with a smile. "Thanks to you I'm out of my healing rut."
"Oh, did you finally get Heal down?" Sylvain's eyebrows went up in inquiry.
"What?" Felix, on the other hand, was unaware of what they were talking about.
"Sylvain, you knew?" Dimitri frowned at his friend's reaction.
"Uh, yeah?" Sylvain rubbed the back of his neck. "Who wouldn't notice all those bandages and ask what was up?"
"What bandages?" Felix's frown deepened with his confusion, though he was effectively ignored by the others.
"Sylvain, you knew and yet you did not tell her to stop?" Dimitri asked with a step forward, motioning back at Eve emphatically.
"Eve does what she wants." Sylvain shrugged casually.
"Can someone please tell me what the hell you're talking about?" Felix interjected angrily.
"Fe, buddy, did you really not notice all those bandages on Eve's hands?" Sylvain turned to the boy beside him with a raised eyebrow.
"What, am I supposed to just stare at her hands all the time?" Felix asked defensively.
"Oh, I can imagine just where you were staring." Sylvain's teasing laugh was cut short when Felix punched him in the arm.
"I'm not you, pervert." Felix grimaced, though a light blush on his cheeks betrayed him.
"We're going to be late for dinner." Eve interjected rather loudly before any more words could be traded. "Shall we go down to the dining hall?"
"Yes, I believe you are right." Dimitri smiled at Eve apologetically. "Let us all go down together."
Eve took the lead, pushing her way between Sylvain and Felix to walk out into the hall. The three men obediently followed her, Sylvain walking ahead to catch up with her brisk pace.
"So, His Highness helped you figure out what you were doing wrong?" Sylvain sidled up to her with an inquisitive smile.
"More or less." Eve nodded. "I was able to heal him just fine."
"Just him?" Sylvain frowned.
"I guess. He said I didn't care enough about my own injuries for the spell to work on myself." She tapped her chin in thought, remembering what Dimitri had explained to her about intention.
"So you care about him?" Sylvain looked at Eve cautiously from the corner of his eye.
"I always have." Eve answered simply.
"But is it… y'know?" Sylvain watched her closely for her reaction but gleaned nothing from it.
"Sylvain, you know my answer to that is the same as it's always been." Eve sighed, turning her head to look up at him. "I've known them for three months."
"It was worth asking." Sylvain shrugged.
"Hey! Over here!" Claude spotted them as soon as they entered the dining hall, waving the four of them over to where everyone else was already seated.
"Sorry we're late." Eve smiled apologetically as they joined the group.
It was a lively bunch that had gathered, food spread on the table amongst them. Eve sat in the middle of one side, Dimitri and Dedue to her right and Claude and Hilda to her left. Directly across from her was Ashe flanked by Sylvain and Ignatz. Felix sat on the end of the table next to Sylvain, clearly not interested in socialising. And Raphael had been forced to sit on the end next to Ignatz by Claude so that he couldn't hog all of the food before anyone had a chance to eat.
They ate and chatted and enjoyed each other's presence. It was rare for those from different classes to eat together for a myriad of reasons. While it was true it was mostly because of the clique-like bond they formed in their individual classes, it was also because they had different schedules that often meant they wouldn't eat at the same time anyways.
"You know," Ignatz said when there was a lull in the conversation, "I don't know if it's my place to say, but I'm happy the future Queen of Faerghus is a commoner. Maybe it marks a change for the better in Fodlan."
"I agree." Claude nodded. "The Kingdom's always been way too stuffy and traditionalist, no offense Your Princeliness."
"None taken, Claude." Dimitri laughed lightly.
"And I think you two make a lovely couple." Ashe smiled shyly at Eve. "I know your marriage was arranged, but you two seem to really get along."
"Ooh I agree!" Hilda piped up excitedly, leaning forward on her elbows to look down the table at Eve and Dimitri. "I see you two having tea in the courtyard all the time and you both look so in love."
Dimitri choked on his food, coughing and sputtering in shock at Hilda's statement.
"I mean, Dimitri is always bringing these super rare and expensive sweets for Eve." Hilda continued, oblivious to Dimitri's reaction. "And she's always so happy to try them even though I know for a fact that Eve doesn't like sweets."
"Hilda!" Eve cried out.
She had been very careful not to let Dimitri know she didn't like sweets. He was always so excited to bring them to her that she didn't have the heart to tell him.
"You don't like sweets?" Dimitri recovered from his coughing fit to ask Eve earnestly.
"I do like the things you bring me." Eve comforted him quickly, shaking her head violently. "It's just that too many sweets tend to make my stomach hurt."
"I've never seen Eve eat sweets unless they were given to her by Dimitri." Hilda proclaimed.
"Eating sweets doesn't mean you're in love." Felix grumbled from his end of the table.
"Now that I think about it, I remember some guys in town gave Eve some candies as a gift and she just gave them to Lysithea." Sylvain mused. "She didn't even try any of them."
"Do you truly not like sweets?" Dimitri asked again, concern creasing his brow.
"It's fine, Dimitri." Eve placed a hand over his to reassure him. "You know I wouldn't force myself to eat them if I really didn't want to."
"See what I mean?" Hilda looked to Claude for affirmation. "Totally a lovey-dovey couple."
"You two really do suit each other, Your Highness." Ashe piped up.
"So, tell me, Your Highnesses." Claude grinned with a look that could only spell mischief. "Have either of you said those magic words yet?"
"What do you mean, Claude?" Dimitri asked, ever naïve.
"Oh, you know," his grin widened, "I love you."
Dimitri's face immediately became a vibrant shade of scarlet, his blush travelling down his neck and up to the tips of his ears.
"I-!" Dimitri brought his hand up to his mouth, clearly embarrassed.
"Eve?" Claude looked at her out of the corner of his eye, his smirk never leaving his face. "You're awfully quiet."
"Claude, must you embarrass my fiancée like this?" Eve asked with a huff, feeling a little bad for Dimitri no matter how cute she found his flustered self to be.
"I mean, let's all be honest." Sylvain cut in with a manufactured laugh. "His Highness is clearly too shy to say anything like that. He'd probably be married to her for ten years and still blush if he tried to say it."
Eve shot Sylvain an appreciative look. He knew very well that Dimitri had already proclaimed his love for Eve, but he wanted to save them both the embarrassment. Not to mention they had both noticed Felix quietly seething beside him.
"You're right." Claude laughed with a wink. "Sorry, Dimitri. Didn't mean to put you on the spot like that."
"It is alright, Claude." Dimitri cleared his throat as he recovered. "I was simply taken off guard."
"It's not like they're marrying for love anyway, so what does it matter?" Felix's snide comment cut through the jovial atmosphere like a hot knife through butter, all eyes turning to him.
"Felix." Eve said softly, warning.
"What?" He crossed his arms, defensive under the scrutiny of all those at the table. "Am I wrong?"
"Come on, Fe." Sylvain smiled, patting his friend on the back. "We're all just having a bit of fun."
"You're all just forcing your delusions onto her is what you're doing." Felix retorted motioning at Eve. "She's clearly not in love with him."
"Felix!" Eve repeated his name, harsher this time.
Cautious glances went around the table, eyes flickering between Eve and Dimitri and Felix. And though she kept a calm and level appearance, Eve was panicking on the inside. Felix absolutely could not expose their relationship right now—or ever for that matter. She didn't fully trust that if pressed on the issue, Felix wouldn't just tell the others how he felt about her.
Despite her true feelings, Eve still needed people to believe she and Dimitri were happy together. Perhaps not the madly in love couple they had pretended to be initially, but at least content to be with each other.
And so, as the tensions rose and the awkward atmosphere only worsened, Eve made an impossible decision. It was stupid and would put her in a lot more trouble with Dimitri and Felix, but it was the only way she could think of getting them all out of trouble publicly.
"I didn't want it to be like this that I said it," Eve blurted into the tense silence, already regretting what she was about to do, "but I am in love with Dimitri."