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[vrdantwind]

"Hey, this is Claude! Pretty sure I'm doing this correctly. You can leave me a message here, and I'll get to it as soon as I can. Talk to you soon~."

Comments

[bestswordmaster]

Felix looks up, too, blinking. "What? No. Your Zoroark turned into you and I think Arbiter tried to bless me, and they were all staring at me. I had to get out of there."

Now that Claude's mentioned it, though-- "Are you ready yet?"

If Dimitri and Grant are still around, he pays them no mind, doesn't even look at them. He's not in the mood for any further commentary or gratitude or pity. He'll...talk to Dimitri tomorrow, maybe. He can't handle any more of this tonight.

[vrdantwind]

Claude stares at Felix for a moment, blinking, and then...manages to laugh a little. He's definitely improved from before, just by that alone. "I mean, Jadoube uses her illusions sometimes to look and sound human when she wants to communicate something, but I can't say what exactly she or Arbiter were up to. Sorry they were being weird at you, though."

He steps forward to take Felix's hand. "But I'm ready. Or as ready as I'll ever be. I do...hate seeing Sylvain like that, but I shouldn't let that keep me away from him. Or make you have to deal with it all on your own. I'm sure you don't like it any better than I do."

[bestswordmaster]

Felix doesn't have it in him to smile back, but the fact that Claude is laughing seems like a good sign. "I think they were trying to thank me. Which is ridiculous considering--never mind."

He clings to Claude's hand a little more than he'd have liked as they make their way back down the hall. "...you're right. I don't. That's why I came to your room in the first place."

Felix unlocks the door--apparently he locked it, even for the brief time he thought he would be gone--and pushes it open, going inside. Inda's awake now and she's thoughtfully turned on a lamp so that Felix wouldn't return to the dark room he left, not having bothered to turn on any lights himself.

"Thanks, Inda," he mutters, moving to the bed to pat her leaves. Stee, is her quiet response, from where she's curled up on top of Sylvain's chest, and--

And yes, there's Sylvain, exactly where Felix left him: lying on his back on his side of the bed. Felix could almost convince himself that the other man is merely asleep like normal, and that when he lies down, Sylvain will stir and turn to pull him close and mutter something unintelligible. But he's been in and out of the bed all day, and he knows that won't happen.

So he climbs onto the bed and pulls the covers back for Claude, sliding as close to Sylvain as he reasonably can to make room, still sitting up for now. In his mind's eye, he can see Sylvain looking up at him and opening his arms wide the way he always does when he wants to cuddle. Felix doesn't do that, but he does hold a hand out to Claude in invitation.

[vrdantwind]

"Hey, Inda," Claude says softly as he follows Felix into the room. He hasn't gotten to spend nearly as much time with her as Sylvain, or even Felix, but he's still fond of her - and he's even more fond of the way Sylvain dotes on her, and Felix can't help but be soft with her in turn. Usually, though, he just watches indulgently from a distance rather than interacting himself.

He moves over to the bed, eyes drifting inescapably to Sylvain. Like Felix, he keeps thinking of Sylvain waking up, reaching out, doing something...not just thinking it, but craving it with all his heart. He knows it won't happen, can't happen, for a full week yet at least...but it feels so wrong for him to just be lying there. Empty. A bookmark, as he'd once told Dirk, for a story to be picked up again later. Right now, as their own stories continue, Sylvain's has been paused.

It doesn't feel any better now than it did earlier. But...part of him wants to be here for Sylvain, however much it hurts. And part of him knows Felix wants and needs him here to help him with the pain and loneliness of Sylvain's being gone like this, and Claude wants to be here for him, too. Those things mean more than his discomfort.

He slips into bed with Felix, sliding his arms around the (barely) smaller man from behind. And if the uppermost arm reaches past Felix, to lightly rest fingers on Sylvain so that Claude can be touching him too...well, Felix probably understands that completely.

[bestswordmaster]

Inda gives Claude a sleepy little wave and a faint smile of greeting, or perhaps gratitude. Once Claude has settled in the bed, Varley rises from her place curled up on the floor to paw at the button to turn the lamp off, before padding around the bed to lick Sylvain's face a few times and returning to her spot.

Felix sighs quietly, relaxing just a little. But he's moving again soon enough, rolling carefully over to wrap his arms around Claude, too, tucking his own head under the other man's chin.

"Thank you," he murmurs. "Good night, Claude."

A good place to end it, I think, unless Felix has a closing comment to make

[vrdantwind]

"I want to be here," Claude murmurs, pulling Felix a little closer against him. He's not used to being the big spoon(or any spoon, frankly), but Felix definitely needs it right now, and he's happy to wordlessly meet that need. And heavens know he needs someone to hold right now, too. "For both you and him. You don't need to thank me for that."

He closes his eyes. "Good night, sunshine...good night, Sylvain." His fingers curl a little in the blanket covering Sylvain. "I love you both." Then, with a slight smile as he forces himself to push back the bittersweetness of those good nights... "And good night, Inda, Varley."