#mr. ''you are irreplaceable. /cherished./'' vs. mr. ''i'd let you grab my heart. or my neck.'' GO!

[travelling-on-the-octopath]

Claude being someone who likes romance but isn't really romantic himself vs. Dimitri who's basically Romance Personified is cute lol, since Claude is very teasing while Dimitri is so sincere (and also teasing lmao) 💞

I'm so soft when I think about this flavour of Dimiclaude cause like. They both grew up around very strong love, even if one was strong because of how defiant it was and the other was strong for how quiet it had to be.

So, Dimitri, when he feels something, sees no value in hiding it. He's shameless in how much he loves, and he won't stifle it. Why should he? He's been given the chance to hold an invaluable heart in his hands, and no day will pass where Claude isn't reminded how honoured he is to do so.

I don't even think there's any particular experience that makes Claude's a quiet love; it just is. I think it falls in line with his view on how the world moves on even while you're hurting; a love, when it's strong enough, underscores one's whole life, without the need to draw attention to that line.

What's perfect about these two, though, is like. Claude loves loves loves romance, and learns to love it even more when Dimitri directs it at him. He stands strong and soaks in every inch of it, even if he doesn't quite match it beat for beat--but that's fine, because Dimitri has learned him just as well, and knows that love from Claude looks a little different and means the world. They learn a little bit of each other's habits and love languages. One of Dimitri's favourite pastimes is sitting with Claude and reading/working on legislation, touching each other in passing and loving the quiet company; Claude will never do it on a schedule, but once in a while he arranges Dimitri's minor affairs in such a way that allows them to go riding the whole day, and plans a meal of the crunchiest, most aromatic food for them to enjoy at the bottom of Dimitri's favourite pine tree from his childhood.

And of course it's kept lively by the fact they're both little shits, and Claude has to control himself when Dimitri says the most out of pocket shit with the straightest face, because they're in public and the King of Almyra losing his mind with laughter in the middle of an event would be an Incident™. Dimitri nods along as Claude recounts just about the most insane story from his childhood possible, knowing every word of it is true and his husband just Grew Up Like That. Their eyes always find each other's, though, when they inevitability have to make nice with the nobles they don't like and catch up with the nobles they do, and it's that undercurrent of love cropping up again, without prompt or wording or worry.

Yeah. Dimiclaude loving each other the best ways they can and that love growing daily. That's the good shit.