[Every single feeling associated with this budding relationship just continues to feel so new and novel to Claude. If he didn't know himself any better, he'd have thought this was the first time he'd ever been in a relationship at all. But then, maybe that's what happens when it's the first relationship he's been in that isn't based on surface level attraction and what seems like it would be fun.
Every other relationship fizzled out because that thrill and fun never lasts. He's always found himself unable to emotionally connect with any partner on deeper level—and it wasn't as if he only intentionally sought to have such shallow relationships. He's dated kind, smart, funny, talented people only to break up with them knowing they deserved something better than he could offer them. At some point, that had morphed into Claude not really trying at all.
Until Dimitri, of course. Dimitri feels like a missing puzzle piece slotting its place into his heart. Claude isn't even sure how it's possible or how to make sense of it—but from the moment they met, everything just felt right. Sure, he can chalk some of that up to the physical attraction, because Dimitri is the most beautiful person he's ever seen in his entire life. That was the initial draw, but talking to Dimitri immediately charmed him in a way he'd never felt before. There's just something about him that feels special, that feels right to Claude, and it fills his chest with warmth.
Of course, it does also make him a little anxious to see what Dimitri has to say in response to his own message. Does he come across all right? Does he seem too cool? Did he reply too fast and look desperate? It's a little too easy to dwell on those things, so as soon as he presses send on the text, he launches himself off the bed and toward his mirror, wasting no time to re-braid his hair and put a bit of hair product in the loose strands to carefully tousle it a bit more. Looking effortless take more effort than Claude will ever really admit, but that's neither here nor there, right?
If only Dimitri could see how much effort Claude is really putting in—or the way he scrambles to grab his phone off the bed when he hears the buzzing against the mattress. Another smile creeps to his lips just seeing Dimitri's messages. He starts to type a response to the first two messages:
We can decide later, then. No big
...Not that he finishes typing, because as soon as Dimitri adds that third message, he's a little taken with it. Usually, Dimitri just leaves it at letting Claude know when he'll be over. "See you soon!" It's so...]
...Cute. [He murmurs aloud, that bright smile dialing back to something warm and endeared. After a long moment, he backspaces what he'd been writing and takes a short moment to consider what he should say. Just reacting, sending a gif or saying "okay, see you soon," feels disproportionate. Even though there was nothing particularly affectionate about Dimitri's choice in words, they've been hanging out long enough for Claude to immediately recognize the extra effort Dimitri is putting in. So what he sends after a moment is a simple:]
Can't wait, see you soon 😉
[No punctuation and a wink emoji—playful and whimsical enough, right? Surely Dimitri will know that it means Claude is thrilled to see him.]
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Every other relationship fizzled out because that thrill and fun never lasts. He's always found himself unable to emotionally connect with any partner on deeper level—and it wasn't as if he only intentionally sought to have such shallow relationships. He's dated kind, smart, funny, talented people only to break up with them knowing they deserved something better than he could offer them. At some point, that had morphed into Claude not really trying at all.
Until Dimitri, of course. Dimitri feels like a missing puzzle piece slotting its place into his heart. Claude isn't even sure how it's possible or how to make sense of it—but from the moment they met, everything just felt right. Sure, he can chalk some of that up to the physical attraction, because Dimitri is the most beautiful person he's ever seen in his entire life. That was the initial draw, but talking to Dimitri immediately charmed him in a way he'd never felt before. There's just something about him that feels special, that feels right to Claude, and it fills his chest with warmth.
Of course, it does also make him a little anxious to see what Dimitri has to say in response to his own message. Does he come across all right? Does he seem too cool? Did he reply too fast and look desperate? It's a little too easy to dwell on those things, so as soon as he presses send on the text, he launches himself off the bed and toward his mirror, wasting no time to re-braid his hair and put a bit of hair product in the loose strands to carefully tousle it a bit more. Looking effortless take more effort than Claude will ever really admit, but that's neither here nor there, right?
If only Dimitri could see how much effort Claude is really putting in—or the way he scrambles to grab his phone off the bed when he hears the buzzing against the mattress. Another smile creeps to his lips just seeing Dimitri's messages. He starts to type a response to the first two messages:
We can decide later, then. No big
...Not that he finishes typing, because as soon as Dimitri adds that third message, he's a little taken with it. Usually, Dimitri just leaves it at letting Claude know when he'll be over. "See you soon!" It's so...]
...Cute. [He murmurs aloud, that bright smile dialing back to something warm and endeared. After a long moment, he backspaces what he'd been writing and takes a short moment to consider what he should say. Just reacting, sending a gif or saying "okay, see you soon," feels disproportionate. Even though there was nothing particularly affectionate about Dimitri's choice in words, they've been hanging out long enough for Claude to immediately recognize the extra effort Dimitri is putting in. So what he sends after a moment is a simple:]
[No punctuation and a wink emoji—playful and whimsical enough, right? Surely Dimitri will know that it means Claude is thrilled to see him.]