[The fact that he hesitates so much before responding slowly has Lorenz' face flushing a little darker. Goddess why did he always turn into such a fool around anyone he felt any kind of affection for?! He knew enough to know that sentimentality is not something Claude deals with so why the sappy line?
Because he was a poetic fool through and through no matter how much he desperately tried to keep that buried in pages of a journal no one would ever see.
He's embarrassed enough before Claude goes and... and- winks at him. Especially when they're still leaning into one another's space. Or... were. Because he will always be sensitive to Claude's teasing. So he pulls back, face flushed a deep enough scarlet that his cheeks ache, one hand lifting helplessly as though there were anyway to hide his embarrassment. He shakes his head a little, trying to fumble back to the good humor he was abruptly terrified of losing.]
Nothing, really. [Because he cannot offer any words that would answer that last question better than his face already has. Clearly he understands the lasciviousness of it, though there's a fair bit of mockery by his reasoning as well.] Claude... if you're an open book then it's a book written in a language I don't even know the characters for.
[There's more, right there on the tip of his tongue. All I know is that it's beautiful. Foolish and romantic and the absolutely last thing he should say. So he swallows it down, lips pressing into a wry smile and a shake of his head. He's a helpless mess, that's really all there is to it.]
[ That's probably true, but it's not Lorenz' fault. As much as Claude cares for his comrades, there's parts of himself that he can never share. Truths that make him question whether or not he would still have their trust and loyalty if they knew his secrets, and that builds a distance that neither of them can bridge.
Even though he trusts them, and values them. ]
I suppose as I've matured I have gained an air of mystery. [ He strokes his chin, determined to keep the atmosphere lighthearted. ] It's just part of growing from a boy into a man...
[ Setting his arm on the back of the couch, he rests his head on his fist as he smiles. He wishes, futilely, that he could show Lorenz the same genuine emotion that he receives, but it's not in his nature to be honest and open. So against all of the instincts that he'd developed throughout his life, that had bred him into the survivor that he is now. ]
I thought it was part of my charm. Just like your tendency to fluff up your feathers at the smallest provocation.
[Lorenz would never expect that kind of openness from Claude. He'd... well. He'd settle for his attempts at being genuine, instead of a pompous brat, not getting him laughed at. It does make it so very difficult to speak more openly about things, even if he may want to sometimes.
Claude twists to lean on the back of the couch and Lorenz allows himself to do the same, though he leans into it more, resting his cheek on his folded arm and stretching out a bit as though it were more fainting couch than actual couch. It leaves him looking up at Claude for once too and maybe that just makes it easier to hide if -when- he missteps again.
As foolish as he feels, though..... he wants to stay here in Claude's space, watching him, curious and cautious in equal measure. Everything is so different here that there are a lot of pieces of the man brought out that he's never seen before.]
It is. Charming, I mean.
[A huff, half laugh and half scoff, tilting his face into the bend of his elbow, embarrassed all over again.]
There's nothing charming about... over reacting to everything. I- I can't help it, though. Despite how much I do try, believe it or not.
[ It's surprising how readily Lorenz agrees with him (and issues him a compliment!), but Claude doesn't complain, smiling at the embarrassed reaction and reaching out to carefully brush his fingers over Lorenz' hair. ]
It's plenty charming, because it's genuine. Not everyone is taken in by a façade.
[ The kind that so many people wear, projecting an image that isn't entirely true in order to gain the favour of others. Claude doesn't begrudge that kind of behaviour—how could he, when he struggles to be genuine himself—but even he can admit that honesty is more endearing than a mask.
Whatever embarrassing form that honesty might take. ]
[It's unbearably sweet, Claude's fingers skimming over his hair, calling him charming. The juxtaposition to the teasing laughter only moments ago only makes it that much more surprising. But still he tilts his head a little, a subtle encouragement. Fingers in his hair are positively wonderful.]
Well... it isn't as though there's any court here to impress. [No one to prove his worth to, none of his fathers expectations to live up to.] Just us.
[Whether he means the two of them or including Hilda or just the strange jumble of classmates the sentiment is the same. Though he does lift his free hand to reach up, resting it lightly on Claude's arm where he's leaning into the couch. His fingers toy with his sleeve a little, an answering touch for the fingers in his hair.]
[ He closes his eyes, relaxed and lazy, thinking back to Fódlan and all the pretences that came with life there. Whether it was playing the part of a good noble or calm and collected leader. Where he was Claude, so used to carrying his secrets that he could no longer feel their weight by the time the war had been won, as if he'd managed to separate himself from that other identity entirely.
He hadn't, because he would always be a mix of both. And when the time came, he'd shed his life as Claude as easily as he'd taken it on.
Another day, another battle. ]
That's probably for the best. [ He sticks his nose in the air again, faking. ] My standards are impossibly high.
[Lorenz scoffs immediately. Impress Claude? Hah! He'd ruined any chance of that a long time ago. Though it was, maybe, a little embarrassing how highly he thought of his opinion. Not just as their leader but as a friend.
But his play at being snooty sounds so much like teenage Lorenz it's definitely embarrassing. The hand that was just resting on his arm pushes his hand away, leaving him nothing to brace on even though he's only half looking at him, still blushing and awkward but that's unlikely to change any time soon.]
Well good. [A snippy little huff of his own.] It would be more embarrassing to- ah... [And the boldness falters back to embarrassment, though no less earnest.] ... learn, I suppose? From someone without standards.
[ Claude isn't clueless. Despite how vaguely Lorenz puts it, between the blushing and the hand wringing, he can gather well enough that when he says "learn", he's not talking about the intricate process of designing a board game. It kind of makes him want to laugh, he doesn't really think he's experienced enough to be a teacher—at least not of anything that Lorenz doesn't already know.
... Or at least, what Claude is assuming he knows. (Maybe he doesn't?? He has no idea what kind of sex ed they receive in Fódlan.) ]
Lorenz, I don't know if it's possible for you to become more embarrassed.
[ Really, he assumes that Lorenz would just faint at that point. ]
Were you working up the courage this entire time to ask me for sex?
[He's right, at least. Lorenz couldn't possibly blush harder, not that it stops him from huffing a frustrated sigh. One hand comes up to smooth his hair back into place, as though now that he's been called out he has to try to compose himself a little.]
Not- the entire time. [Goddess that sounds awful doesn't it?] I mean to say... that's certainly not what my intent was coming over here.
[He'd hate for Claude to misconstrue his genuine desire for companionship and enjoyment of his game for something so... calculated. It wasn't like that at all. He bites the inside of his lip, glancing away for a moment.] But you... let me kiss you. And I-
[He finally makes himself look back over at Claude, resigned to his embarrassment but also a shy, almost hopeful little smile tugging uncertainly at his lips.]
[ "Let" Lorenz kiss him, as though Claude were some unwilling participant weakly tolerating the gesture.
He tilts his head curiously, leaning into Lorenz' space as he lifts a hand to gently trace along the line of his jaw. A quiet, chaste gesture but one he expects might draw a blush over the same expanse of skin that he travels. ]
Is that all?
[ His expression is cheesy and suggestive, but he's not pretending to be some master seducer. ]
Well, I do like to kiss, but I can say that if you led me to your room, I'd probably "let" you do that too.
[ As a general rule, Claude doesn't have sex when Hilda is in the vicinity. ]
[They went over the fact that, logic aside, Lorenz had definitely had a thing for Claude. Just how much of Claude's agreement had been charity and how much might have been curiosity or honest interest was never addressed.
The gentle touch has Lorenz tilting his head slightly, leaning into the contact with a fluttery little sigh and a predictable flush of color. His hand comes up to cover Claude's, holding him there while Lorenz presses into the touch. He swallows hard, gathering his nerve just as Claude had said.
Of course he's met with that ridiculously cheesy expression and all of the nervousness is swept away in rush of exasperation. Here he is having a moment and- ]
You are unbearable, you realize.
[But even as he says it he is dragging himself off the couch, rolling his eyes as much at himself as Claude, offering him a hand up. Fond exasperation saves him from twisting himself into a ball of anxiety, maybe, but not entirely from the shy uncertainty when he actually answers him properly.]
[ The statement and the question both earn a grin from Claude, and he accepts the offered hand, using the momentum of standing to step into Lorenz' space and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. He lingers this time, not quite like the brief brushes that Lorenz had gifted him, taking a moment just to savour the closeness and warmth before rocking back, looking as please as punch. ]
Lead the way. [ But actually— ] Just give me a minute first.
[ He steps back to gather up all the parts of his board game (he's not normally so tidy, but he doesn't want Hilda to destroy it), vanishing back to his room before reappearing, not bothering to hide the way he's traded in his board game for a bottle with very specific applications.
Settling back beside Lorenz, everything about his demeanour suggests that he plans to be trouble regardless of Lorenz delicate sensibilities. ]
So, care to explain which one of your fantasies we'll be enacting today?
[The last thing he expects is for Claude to take the initiative to kiss him, especially completely unprompted. He's not really sure what he is expecting but it wasn't that. Lorenz sucks in a surprised breath but leans into it as long as Claude will let him, flushed in a far more pleasant way when he goes to put away game pieces before they get lost.
Something that immediately tilts back over into embarrassment when he realizes what Claude has with him and how troublesome all his mischief making is liable to be... He's lucky it's part of his charm.
Lorenz habitually offers his arm, a proper gentleman if Claude decides to accept it. But either way he will start to head out, and down the two whole doors between their apartments, before he loses his nerve (again). The answer he gives, while being terribly embarrassed and flustered, is likely a bit more honest than Claude might have expected,]
I am hardly.... well versed enough in such things to have considered anything ahem remotely creative... Even if I had, I wouldn't ask that of you.
[It seems shallow and objectifying when, even in his youth, it had always been far more about who than what.]
[ Claude doesn't need to be doted on, but he accepts the offered arm nonetheless, amused by the courtesy. He has to admit that the answer surprises him, mostly because he expected Lorenz to blush and fluster.
He doesn't mind, smiling softly as he leans in, chest pressing to Lorenz' arm as invades his personal space. ]
As, Lorenz. Are you being considerate of my virtue?
[ Not that he would mind enacting any of Lorenz' fantasies. He's always had a curious mind, open to trying whatever new things might land in his lap, and just as quick to abandon them if they aren't to his taste. But maybe that's not the risk that Lorenz wants to take with his inaugural tumble in bed, which is understanding enough. Given his demeanour, Claude suspects that they'll be taking things slow and simple so as to ease Lorenz into the world of sex.
The walk to Lorenz' apartment takes less than a minute, and Claude doesn't bother lingering in the living room once the door is closed behind them, strolling straight toward where he knows Lorenz' bedroom to be.
He sets the lubricant beside the pillow, turning toward Lorenz with his hands on his hips, and a teasing grin over his lips. ]
Can you get undressed or shall I guide you through that as well?
[Maybe not his virtue but there's something that feels a bit disrespectful about even considering something like that. Especially when he has no idea what he's doing. Especially when none of his so-called-fantasies go anywhere near the extent of what they're clearly planning to do.
Even so he's had enough time to improve things around his apartment that there's a notable difference when they step inside, an easing of his tension that simply comes from being home. Short lived though it is when Claude immediately bypasses the living area to step around the half wall dividing the small apartment. Claude and Hilda had 2 rooms.... Lorenz only had a studio but the exchange was a corner apartment with a wide balcony that wraps around the building.]
I-!
[He doesn't even get the beginning of the argument out, flustered and a bit indignant. Precisely the effect he'd meant to have no doubt. Lorenz huffs a breath, gets as far as unbuttoning his cuffs, and then he is dismissing Claude's little challenge. A frown, half exasperated half uncertain. Another step closer to cut the distance between them.
Despite how nervous he might be he doesn't hesitate exactly. Claude is right in assuming they might have to go slowly at first but Lorenz does take the initiative to lean down and kiss his friend. They can worry about the undressing part in a moment. For now he knows from fleeting kisses shared with Constantin that it will be far easier not to get too caught up in losing any of his layers when he's already breathless from kisses.
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Because he was a poetic fool through and through no matter how much he desperately tried to keep that buried in pages of a journal no one would ever see.
He's embarrassed enough before Claude goes and... and- winks at him. Especially when they're still leaning into one another's space. Or... were. Because he will always be sensitive to Claude's teasing. So he pulls back, face flushed a deep enough scarlet that his cheeks ache, one hand lifting helplessly as though there were anyway to hide his embarrassment. He shakes his head a little, trying to fumble back to the good humor he was abruptly terrified of losing.]
Nothing, really. [Because he cannot offer any words that would answer that last question better than his face already has. Clearly he understands the lasciviousness of it, though there's a fair bit of mockery by his reasoning as well.] Claude... if you're an open book then it's a book written in a language I don't even know the characters for.
[There's more, right there on the tip of his tongue. All I know is that it's beautiful. Foolish and romantic and the absolutely last thing he should say. So he swallows it down, lips pressing into a wry smile and a shake of his head. He's a helpless mess, that's really all there is to it.]
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Even though he trusts them, and values them. ]
I suppose as I've matured I have gained an air of mystery. [ He strokes his chin, determined to keep the atmosphere lighthearted. ] It's just part of growing from a boy into a man...
[ Setting his arm on the back of the couch, he rests his head on his fist as he smiles. He wishes, futilely, that he could show Lorenz the same genuine emotion that he receives, but it's not in his nature to be honest and open. So against all of the instincts that he'd developed throughout his life, that had bred him into the survivor that he is now. ]
I thought it was part of my charm. Just like your tendency to fluff up your feathers at the smallest provocation.
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Claude twists to lean on the back of the couch and Lorenz allows himself to do the same, though he leans into it more, resting his cheek on his folded arm and stretching out a bit as though it were more fainting couch than actual couch. It leaves him looking up at Claude for once too and maybe that just makes it easier to hide if -when- he missteps again.
As foolish as he feels, though..... he wants to stay here in Claude's space, watching him, curious and cautious in equal measure. Everything is so different here that there are a lot of pieces of the man brought out that he's never seen before.]
It is. Charming, I mean.
[A huff, half laugh and half scoff, tilting his face into the bend of his elbow, embarrassed all over again.]
There's nothing charming about... over reacting to everything. I- I can't help it, though. Despite how much I do try, believe it or not.
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It's plenty charming, because it's genuine. Not everyone is taken in by a façade.
[ The kind that so many people wear, projecting an image that isn't entirely true in order to gain the favour of others. Claude doesn't begrudge that kind of behaviour—how could he, when he struggles to be genuine himself—but even he can admit that honesty is more endearing than a mask.
Whatever embarrassing form that honesty might take. ]
It's good to see you more... at ease, I suppose.
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Well... it isn't as though there's any court here to impress. [No one to prove his worth to, none of his fathers expectations to live up to.] Just us.
[Whether he means the two of them or including Hilda or just the strange jumble of classmates the sentiment is the same. Though he does lift his free hand to reach up, resting it lightly on Claude's arm where he's leaning into the couch. His fingers toy with his sleeve a little, an answering touch for the fingers in his hair.]
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[ He closes his eyes, relaxed and lazy, thinking back to Fódlan and all the pretences that came with life there. Whether it was playing the part of a good noble or calm and collected leader. Where he was Claude, so used to carrying his secrets that he could no longer feel their weight by the time the war had been won, as if he'd managed to separate himself from that other identity entirely.
He hadn't, because he would always be a mix of both. And when the time came, he'd shed his life as Claude as easily as he'd taken it on.
Another day, another battle. ]
That's probably for the best. [ He sticks his nose in the air again, faking. ] My standards are impossibly high.
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But his play at being snooty sounds so much like teenage Lorenz it's definitely embarrassing. The hand that was just resting on his arm pushes his hand away, leaving him nothing to brace on even though he's only half looking at him, still blushing and awkward but that's unlikely to change any time soon.]
Well good. [A snippy little huff of his own.] It would be more embarrassing to- ah... [And the boldness falters back to embarrassment, though no less earnest.] ... learn, I suppose? From someone without standards.
[If he was willing to do that, Sylvain's here.]
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... Or at least, what Claude is assuming he knows. (Maybe he doesn't?? He has no idea what kind of sex ed they receive in Fódlan.) ]
Lorenz, I don't know if it's possible for you to become more embarrassed.
[ Really, he assumes that Lorenz would just faint at that point. ]
Were you working up the courage this entire time to ask me for sex?
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Not- the entire time. [Goddess that sounds awful doesn't it?] I mean to say... that's certainly not what my intent was coming over here.
[He'd hate for Claude to misconstrue his genuine desire for companionship and enjoyment of his game for something so... calculated. It wasn't like that at all. He bites the inside of his lip, glancing away for a moment.] But you... let me kiss you. And I-
[He finally makes himself look back over at Claude, resigned to his embarrassment but also a shy, almost hopeful little smile tugging uncertainly at his lips.]
Rather thought it might be nice to do so again.
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He tilts his head curiously, leaning into Lorenz' space as he lifts a hand to gently trace along the line of his jaw. A quiet, chaste gesture but one he expects might draw a blush over the same expanse of skin that he travels. ]
Is that all?
[ His expression is cheesy and suggestive, but he's not pretending to be some master seducer. ]
Well, I do like to kiss, but I can say that if you led me to your room, I'd probably "let" you do that too.
[ As a general rule, Claude doesn't have sex when Hilda is in the vicinity. ]
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The gentle touch has Lorenz tilting his head slightly, leaning into the contact with a fluttery little sigh and a predictable flush of color. His hand comes up to cover Claude's, holding him there while Lorenz presses into the touch. He swallows hard, gathering his nerve just as Claude had said.
Of course he's met with that ridiculously cheesy expression and all of the nervousness is swept away in rush of exasperation. Here he is having a moment and- ]
You are unbearable, you realize.
[But even as he says it he is dragging himself off the couch, rolling his eyes as much at himself as Claude, offering him a hand up. Fond exasperation saves him from twisting himself into a ball of anxiety, maybe, but not entirely from the shy uncertainty when he actually answers him properly.]
... Please?
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Lead the way. [ But actually— ] Just give me a minute first.
[ He steps back to gather up all the parts of his board game (he's not normally so tidy, but he doesn't want Hilda to destroy it), vanishing back to his room before reappearing, not bothering to hide the way he's traded in his board game for a bottle with very specific applications.
Settling back beside Lorenz, everything about his demeanour suggests that he plans to be trouble regardless of Lorenz delicate sensibilities. ]
So, care to explain which one of your fantasies we'll be enacting today?
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Something that immediately tilts back over into embarrassment when he realizes what Claude has with him and how troublesome all his mischief making is liable to be... He's lucky it's part of his charm.
Lorenz habitually offers his arm, a proper gentleman if Claude decides to accept it. But either way he will start to head out, and down the two whole doors between their apartments, before he loses his nerve (again). The answer he gives, while being terribly embarrassed and flustered, is likely a bit more honest than Claude might have expected,]
I am hardly.... well versed enough in such things to have considered anything ahem remotely creative... Even if I had, I wouldn't ask that of you.
[It seems shallow and objectifying when, even in his youth, it had always been far more about who than what.]
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He doesn't mind, smiling softly as he leans in, chest pressing to Lorenz' arm as invades his personal space. ]
As, Lorenz. Are you being considerate of my virtue?
[ Not that he would mind enacting any of Lorenz' fantasies. He's always had a curious mind, open to trying whatever new things might land in his lap, and just as quick to abandon them if they aren't to his taste. But maybe that's not the risk that Lorenz wants to take with his inaugural tumble in bed, which is understanding enough. Given his demeanour, Claude suspects that they'll be taking things slow and simple so as to ease Lorenz into the world of sex.
The walk to Lorenz' apartment takes less than a minute, and Claude doesn't bother lingering in the living room once the door is closed behind them, strolling straight toward where he knows Lorenz' bedroom to be.
He sets the lubricant beside the pillow, turning toward Lorenz with his hands on his hips, and a teasing grin over his lips. ]
Can you get undressed or shall I guide you through that as well?
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Even so he's had enough time to improve things around his apartment that there's a notable difference when they step inside, an easing of his tension that simply comes from being home. Short lived though it is when Claude immediately bypasses the living area to step around the half wall dividing the small apartment. Claude and Hilda had 2 rooms.... Lorenz only had a studio but the exchange was a corner apartment with a wide balcony that wraps around the building.]
I-!
[He doesn't even get the beginning of the argument out, flustered and a bit indignant. Precisely the effect he'd meant to have no doubt. Lorenz huffs a breath, gets as far as unbuttoning his cuffs, and then he is dismissing Claude's little challenge. A frown, half exasperated half uncertain. Another step closer to cut the distance between them.
Despite how nervous he might be he doesn't hesitate exactly. Claude is right in assuming they might have to go slowly at first but Lorenz does take the initiative to lean down and kiss his friend. They can worry about the undressing part in a moment. For now he knows from fleeting kisses shared with Constantin that it will be far easier not to get too caught up in losing any of his layers when he's already breathless from kisses.
Which is precisely what he's aiming for.]