Not long after the delivery of the message, Dimitri will have a visitor. One Emissary, hands full with a plate of freshly made cookies, an almost shy smile on his face. Elidibus looks up at the other man with the barest of flushes on his cheeks, and a smile so fond it almost aches.
"I hope you can forgive me for such a paltry offering, but it was all I could do on such short notice," he smiles brightly. "Such a beautiful declaration required a response as soon as I could muster."
Now, he hesitates, but only briefly.
"It is important for you to know that you already hold a place in my heart, dearest Dimitri."
Dimitri can smell the cookies before he sees an Elidibus. For a few seconds, he reminisces to Amani's beginnings and how the house used to be full of delightful scents thanks to Dedue's presence. For as much as he misses the man, he's more than happy to allow for others to fill the spaces of his heart that they can.
"It's anything but," Dimitri reassures, ushering him inside, and taking the plate from him with a winning smile of his own along with a swift smooch to the top of his head. "As I've told Byleth before, things like these - made rather than generated - hold so much more meaning." They show the time, care, and effort one put into something rather than it just being delivered ready-made.
Call him old-fashioned, but that speaks a lot to how much Elidibus had likely wanted to show his appreciation. "And glad I am to hear it, though that just means I need to continue working to keep it."
Allowing himself to be guided inside, Elidibus finds himself nodding along. "When possible I do enjoy crafting by hand. There is a solidity to it that I find myself missing when resorting to pure creation magicks," a habit picked up from his living alongside mortals. While in the guise of heroes he had to act as they would, be that in battle or at rest. The skills were picked up over time, and here in Amani he had the space to think on what they truly meant to him. "Some things, however, are utterly impossible to translate from the mind to the hands - and there is where magic excels."
He stops himself before he begins to speak too far at length. That wasn't why he'd come. Reaching up, he gently frames Dimitri's face in his hands, tugging with gentle insistence. "You will need to do far less work than you think."
Should the other man resist, he will let go, but he thinks that he will not. Luminous blue eyes slip shut, and he pulls their mouths together for a tender, lengthy kiss.
It's interesting to consider that, for Elidibus, such things were for fun rather than necessity. At least, for a time. Yet instead of default to the simulation's generation of things on a whim, he again found the joy in appreciating things done by one's own hands. It speaks a lot to his character more than he knows. "So it does," he agrees.
When he turns back to Elidibus, he's being greeted by hands at the sides of his face drawing him in. "Is that-?" he starts to ask, but is interrupted by that kiss. He loses what he wanted to say and instead settles with a half-chuckled 'hm' of a sound.
Kissing is something Elidibus indulges in a great deal, these days. Kissing Dimitri is a delight he'd guessed at, learned from Byleth and his own observations, and he allows the indulgence to linger. Short as he is, the Emissary has found a liking in kissing upwards, pulling taller partners down to show his affections.
His fingers slowly slip into blonde hair, enjoying the feeling immensely.
But eventually they must part.
When he pulls back, Elidibus looks incredibly smug. Happy with himself. But even though he feels so, he does recall a question he'd so rudely cut off. "'Is that' what, dearest one?"
Dimitri is often the taller partner, which works out for him just fine since he enjoys being pulled into such affections. There even comes a small hum of approval at the fingers against his scalp. People playing with his hair, especially, has become a bit of a (not quite guilty) pleasure for him.
"Ah, I was only going to ask if that was a promise. The mention of having to do less work than I imagined."
"It is. A promise made with all I may offer," the sincerity in his voice as he says so is almost painful.
But he is not in the habit of rebuking whatever love languages others may have. "If you wish to show your own affections with gifts or acts of service, however, know they will be cherished and appreciated. Only that I wish for you to do so because it is what you desire, not what you believe is needed to keep me."
Even reassuring, as Elidibus clearly is trying to do, he is... intense. Still, he hopes the intent comes across as he means.
He kisses Dimitri again, briefly, for good measure.
"Acts of... Yes, I suppose that would fit my usual style." Dimitri is a man of words, yes, but he is also a man of action. Where words failed him, what he did always seemed to matter. Similarly, words when he was at his lowest meant to hurt were not taken to heart.
"Trust that whatsoever I do will be of my own volition. I promise you that much," he offers, meeting that kiss himself before grinning again.
The future seems far brighter now. It's a thing Elidibus has felt, throughout the ages, when something appears to shift. A change in the air, or perhaps just a feeling. He certainly has a number of feelings happening beneath the surface.
All of them good.
Smiling up at Dimitri, he nods, "Trust in you I shall. Though know that you will receive much and more of the same from me." Delicately, he traces Dimitri's hairline, following the blonde strands back to tuck them over the shell of the other man's ear. He thinks that he will grow to adore playing with it.
Sometimes, following those feelings can lead to incredible things. Although more emotionally driven than he might like to admit, well- It hasn't led him astray here in Amani yet.
"I look forward to it," he answers, tilting his head just so to lean lightly into that touch. His hair has become somewhat of a fun thing to play with both for him and others. As its gotten longer, that's only remained more true than ever. He thinks he'd like to play with Elidibus' silvery locks too when given the opportunity. Of which, he knows there will be plenty now.
Happy to continue toying with the golden strands, Elidibus smiles when Dimitri leans into his ministrations. That's as good of a request as any. So he lifts his other hand to join the first and threads it into the taller man's hair. If his arms grow tired of being lifted so, he does not show it.
Instead he continues to comb through in repetitive motions. From time to time his nails gently scrape, a change in pressure teasing the barest of scalp massages. Clearly he's indulging himself - but Elidibus is not going to draw attention to that himself. Dimitri is clever enough to see that for himself.
Especially when he sections out a small portion and begins to weave the tiniest of braids with clever fingers.
As wordy as the Ancient can be, he appears to be perfectly content with the silence, communicating through touch alone.
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LATE LATE SO LATE
"I hope you can forgive me for such a paltry offering, but it was all I could do on such short notice," he smiles brightly. "Such a beautiful declaration required a response as soon as I could muster."
Now, he hesitates, but only briefly.
"It is important for you to know that you already hold a place in my heart, dearest Dimitri."
right back at ya, oops
"It's anything but," Dimitri reassures, ushering him inside, and taking the plate from him with a winning smile of his own along with a swift smooch to the top of his head. "As I've told Byleth before, things like these - made rather than generated - hold so much more meaning." They show the time, care, and effort one put into something rather than it just being delivered ready-made.
Call him old-fashioned, but that speaks a lot to how much Elidibus had likely wanted to show his appreciation. "And glad I am to hear it, though that just means I need to continue working to keep it."
no subject
He stops himself before he begins to speak too far at length. That wasn't why he'd come. Reaching up, he gently frames Dimitri's face in his hands, tugging with gentle insistence. "You will need to do far less work than you think."
Should the other man resist, he will let go, but he thinks that he will not. Luminous blue eyes slip shut, and he pulls their mouths together for a tender, lengthy kiss.
and again!!!
When he turns back to Elidibus, he's being greeted by hands at the sides of his face drawing him in. "Is that-?" he starts to ask, but is interrupted by that kiss. He loses what he wanted to say and instead settles with a half-chuckled 'hm' of a sound.
He doesn't resist. How could he, really?
no subject
His fingers slowly slip into blonde hair, enjoying the feeling immensely.
But eventually they must part.
When he pulls back, Elidibus looks incredibly smug. Happy with himself. But even though he feels so, he does recall a question he'd so rudely cut off. "'Is that' what, dearest one?"
no subject
"Ah, I was only going to ask if that was a promise. The mention of having to do less work than I imagined."
no subject
But he is not in the habit of rebuking whatever love languages others may have. "If you wish to show your own affections with gifts or acts of service, however, know they will be cherished and appreciated. Only that I wish for you to do so because it is what you desire, not what you believe is needed to keep me."
Even reassuring, as Elidibus clearly is trying to do, he is... intense. Still, he hopes the intent comes across as he means.
He kisses Dimitri again, briefly, for good measure.
no subject
"Trust that whatsoever I do will be of my own volition. I promise you that much," he offers, meeting that kiss himself before grinning again.
no subject
All of them good.
Smiling up at Dimitri, he nods, "Trust in you I shall. Though know that you will receive much and more of the same from me." Delicately, he traces Dimitri's hairline, following the blonde strands back to tuck them over the shell of the other man's ear. He thinks that he will grow to adore playing with it.
no subject
"I look forward to it," he answers, tilting his head just so to lean lightly into that touch. His hair has become somewhat of a fun thing to play with both for him and others. As its gotten longer, that's only remained more true than ever. He thinks he'd like to play with Elidibus' silvery locks too when given the opportunity. Of which, he knows there will be plenty now.
no subject
Instead he continues to comb through in repetitive motions. From time to time his nails gently scrape, a change in pressure teasing the barest of scalp massages. Clearly he's indulging himself - but Elidibus is not going to draw attention to that himself. Dimitri is clever enough to see that for himself.
Especially when he sections out a small portion and begins to weave the tiniest of braids with clever fingers.
As wordy as the Ancient can be, he appears to be perfectly content with the silence, communicating through touch alone.